Hypertension Higher In Individuals Who Eat Out

Researchers at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore have found that eating out has been linked to higher caloric intake, higher saturated fat and higher salt intake. In other words, it may just be better to cook your meals at home for your overall health.

During the study, researchers surveyed 501 university-going young adults aged 18 to 40 years in Singapore. They used data on blood pressure, body mass index and lifestyle that included meals eaten away from home and physical activity levels to help determine any association linked to hypertension.

Using statistical analysis, the team found that pre-hypertension was found in 27.4 percent of the total population, and 38 percent ate more than 12 meals away from home per week; while the gender breakdown showed that pre-hypertension was more prevalent in men (49 percent) than in women (9 percent). Those who had pre-hypertension or hypertension were more likely to eat more meals away from home per week, have a higher mean body mass index, have lower mean physical activity levels, and be current smokers.

Findings revealed that even eating one extra meal out increased the odds of prehypertension by about 6 percent.

"While there have been studies conducted in the United States and Japan to find behaviors associated with hypertension, very few have surveyed a Southeast Asian population," Tazeen Jafar, who supervised the study, said in a statement. "Our research plugs that gap and highlights lifestyle factors associated with pre-hypertension and hypertension that are potentially modifiable, and would be applicable to young adults globally, especially those of Asian descent."

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the American Journal of Hypertension.