Maternal intake of dietary protein from plant and animal sources and development of pharmacologically treated hypertension within 10 years after pregnancy

Jannike Øyen; Anne Lise Brantsæter; Lene Secher Myrmel; Hanne Rosendahl-Riise; Ottar Nygård; Eva Gerdts; Lise Madsen; Grace M Egeland

doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf343

Maternal intake of dietary protein from plant and animal sources and development of pharmacologically treated hypertension within 10 years after pregnancy

Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2025 Jun 13:zwaf343. doi: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf343. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jannike Øyen^{1

2}, Anne Lise Brantsæter³, Lene Secher Myrmel¹, Hanne Rosendahl-Riise², Ottar Nygård^{2

4

5}, Eva Gerdts^{5

6}, Lise Madsen^{1

7}, Grace M Egeland^{8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Marine Research, Nordnesgaten 50, 5005 Bergen, Norway.
² Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Haukelandsbakken 15, 5121 Bergen, Norway.
³ Department of Food Safety and Centre for Sustainable Diets, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Lovisenberggata 8, 0456 Oslo, Norway.
⁴ Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Jonas Lies vei 65, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
⁵ Department of Heart Disease, Haukeland University Hospital, Haukelandsveien 22, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
⁶ Center for Research on Cardiac Disease in Women, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Laboratory Building, Haukelandsbakken, 5009 Bergen, Norway.
⁷ Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91B, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
⁸ Department of Health Registry Research and Development, Division of Health Data and Digitalisation, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Zander Kaaesgate 7, 5015 Bergen, Norway.
⁹ Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Årstadveien 17, 5018 Bergen, Norway.

PMID: 40513109
DOI: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf343

Abstract

Aims: To investigate associations between intake of protein from plant and animal sources and risk of development of pharmacologically treated hypertension (defined as antihypertensive medication usage >90 days after delivery) in a large population of Norwegian mothers followed up to 10 years after delivery.

Methods: Women in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) recruited between 2004-2008 were linked to the Norwegian Prescription Database (2004-2013) to ascertain antihypertensive medication usage. Women with hypertension before pregnancy were excluded, leaving 59,967 mothers for analyses. Diet was assessed by a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire in mid-pregnancy. Cox proportional hazard analyses evaluated HRs and 95% CIs for quintiles of intake in multivariable models.

Results: A total of 1,480 (2.5%) women developed hypertension within 10 years of follow-up. Intake of protein from dairy, particularly milk/yoghurt, was inversely associated with hypertension (HR for highest vs. lowest milk/yoghurt quintile: 0.76, 95% CI 0.65, 0.89, P-trend < 0.001). Intake of red meat protein was positively associated with hypertension (HR for quintile four vs. quintile one: 1.27, 95% CI 1.07, 1.51, P-trend = 0.010). No significant associations were observed for plant-based protein sources.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that intake of protein from dairy sources is inversely associated with hypertension, while protein from red meat is positively associated with developing hypertension up to ten years after pregnancy. This study provides novel contributions to the literature by examining the impact of a diverse array of plant and animal protein sources on the risk of hypertension in women.

Keywords: Animal-based protein sources; Cardiovascular disease; Diet; Father and Child Cohort Study; Hypertension; Plant-based protein sources; the Norwegian Mother.

Plain language summary

This study examined the relationship between protein intake from plant and animal sources and the risk of developing hypertension in Norwegian mothers within 10 years after pregnancy. Consumption of protein from dairy products, especially milk and yoghurt, was inversely associated with hypertension. Intake of red meat protein was positively associated with hypertension.