Abstract WP211: Dietary Patterns And Blood Pressure Profiles Among Stroke-free Africans: Evidence From The Stroke Investigative Research And Educational Network Study In Sub-Saharan Africa.

Introduction:High blood pressure is a prominent risk factor for stroke in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where dietary factors associated with blood pressure are often under-reported.Hypothesis:Dietary patterns (DP) are not associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) among stroke-free Africans from Ghana and Nigeria.Methods:Information on diet history (including servings and frequency of consumption) was collected from 4,413 stroke-free persons (recruited from Nigeria and Ghana) and transformed using principal component analysis to estimate seven distinct factor scores that represented seven DP. SBP and DBP measurements were taken using standard operating procedures and linear regression models (adjusting for age, sex, smoking and alcohol use) were applied to estimate beta (β) coefficients and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association of the DP (using the factor scores) with SBP and DBP at P<0.05.Results:Mean age was 56.18±14.90years, 48.6% were females, 6.1% reported ever smoked cigarette and 24,8% reported alcohol use. Mean SBP and DBP were 135.53±24.21mmHg and 82.62±14.27mmHg respectively. Seven dietary patterns ('Vegetables', 'Sweetened food&Carbonated drinks', 'Organ & Red meat', 'Processed foods', 'Dairy, Legumes&Whole grains', 'Potatoes, Refined grains&Fish' and 'Fried&Salty foods') were identified in this sample. Overall, factors scores of DP were not significantly associated with SBP, but DBP was significantly reduced by factors of 'Vegetables' patterns (β = -0.60; 95% CI: -1.02, -0.18, P=0.005), 'Dairy, Legume&Whole grain' patterns (β = -0.50; 95% CI: -0.92, -0.06, P=0.019) and Potatoes, Refined grains & Fish patterns (β = -0.54 (-0.99, 95% CI: -0.10, P=0.016).Conclusion(s):Adherence to plant-based diets was associated with reduced blood pressure particularly diastolic blood pressure. The association between DP and blood pressure may be complex but dietary advisory encouraging the consumption of plant-based diets may be helpful in the primary prevention of high blood pressure in this population.