Dietary thiamin intake and new high blood pressure in Chinese adults
What it found
In 12,177 Chinese adults followed for a median of 6.1 years, both lower and higher thiamin intakes were linked to more new high blood pressure, with the lowest risk around 0.76 to 1.13 mg per day.
This was an observational study in people.
What they found
Studies in people
U-shaped relation
The link between dietary thiamin intake and new high blood pressure followed a U-shape, with the lowest risk at an intake of 0.93 mg per day. Both lower and higher intakes were linked to more new cases.
Below the turning point
Among people eating less than 0.93 mg of thiamin per day, each higher amount was linked to a lower risk of new high blood pressure.
Above the turning point
Among people eating 0.93 mg per day or more, each higher amount was linked to a higher risk of new high blood pressure.
Quartile comparison
Compared with people in the middle two quartiles (0.76 to 1.13 mg per day), the risk of new high blood pressure was higher in both the lowest quartile (under 0.76 mg per day) and the highest quartile (1.13 mg per day or more).
Subgroups
The U-shaped link appeared in all subgroups studied, including men and women, and was not significantly changed by age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure or smoking.
Animal and lab studies
Possible mechanisms
The authors suggest that thiamin may lower risk by improving blood vessel lining function and reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, based on animal and lab studies.
What the authors conclude
“In conclusion, we first found a U-shaped relation of dietary thiamine intake with the risk of new-onset hypertension in the general Chinese population, with an inflection point at 0.93 mg/day and lower risk of new-onset hypertension at 0.76–1.13 mg/day of dietary thiamine intake.”
Also in their conclusions
- They found a U-shaped relation between dietary thiamin intake and the risk of new high blood pressure in the general Chinese population, with an inflection point at 0.93 mg per day.
- They say that if further confirmed, their results suggest the importance of maintaining an optimal thiamin intake level for primary prevention of hypertension.
- They call for further studies to confirm their findings and explore the underlying mechanisms.
How it was done
The authors wanted to find out whether thiamin intake from food is related to the risk of developing high blood pressure, since little research had looked at this before.
They followed 12,177 adults without high blood pressure from the China Health and Nutrition Survey for a median of 6.1 years. Food intake was recorded using three 24-hour dietary recalls, and blood pressure was measured at each survey round.
What it can’t tell you
- This was an observational study, so it can show a link but cannot prove that thiamin intake causes or prevents high blood pressure.
- The study was in Chinese adults, so the results may not apply to other populations.
- The study did not measure blood thiamin levels, so it could not look at the link between blood thiamin and high blood pressure.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by NICHD NIH HHS; FIC NIH HHS; NIDDK NIH HHS (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Southern Medical University, China; Anhui Medical University, China
The paper
- Title
- U-Shaped Relation of Dietary Thiamine Intake and New-Onset Hypertension
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Yang S, et al (2022). U-Shaped Relation of Dietary Thiamine Intake and New-Onset Hypertension. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu14163251Free full textPubMed 36014758DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error