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Blood pressure a measure of your diet

A new study has linked high blood pressure to a person's diet and chemicals in the urine, for the first time.

The study has linked blood pressure to a person's metabolic fingerprint, which is a measure of how a person processes food. It is the diet and gut bugs that influence the metabolic fingerprint, not the genetic make up of a person.

The study

Scientists from the Imperial College London, analyzed urine samples from 4,630 people in the United States, Britain, Japan and China.

They found that what affects peoples' blood pressure may be as a result of what they eat and their gut bacteria.

The scientists used metabolic fingerprinting which looks at the levels of many different metabolites, which are the products of metabolism. Metabolites act as markers which can show how diet and lifestyle contribute to disease.

The conclusions

Adults in the UK and USA, which have similar rates of high blood pressure and heart disease, have similar metabolic fingerprints. However, adults from Japan and China have similar genetic profiles but very different metabolites.

Researchers noted that Japanese people living in the USA have typical American metabolic fingerprints. This shows that diet and lifestyle is a key influence in metabolism.

Lead researcher Professor Nicholson said the study will "give us important clues as to the causes of major health problems such as high blood pressure."

Professor Elliott, a co-author, added, "The flip-side of this is that whereas a person can't alter their DNA, they can change their metabolic profile by changing their diet and lifestyle."

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