Bottom Line: High blood pressure is widespread among black adults in the United States and it is a major contributor to disparities in life expectancy, although reasons for this increased hypertension risk are unknown. Researchers examined 12 factors and their association with the development of hypertension among 6,900 black and white adults who didn't have hypertension when they entered the study in 2003-2007 and who were followed-up nine years later. The biggest factor associated with increased risk of hypertension among black adults was high consumption of a Southern diet, which was defined as eating lots of fried foods, organ meats, processed meats, eggs and egg dishes, added fats, high-fat dairy foods, sugar-sweetened beverages and bread.

Authors: George Howard, Dr.P.H., University of Alabama at Birmingham, and coauthors

To Learn More: The full study is available on the For The Media website.

(doi:10.1001/jama.2018.13467)

Editor's Note: The article includes conflict of interest and funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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