Association of hypertension with noodle consumption among Korean adults based on the Health Examinees (HEXA) study

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES The prevalence of hypertension is increasing, and noodles have a high sodium content, so noodle consumption might be associated with a higher prevalence of hypertension. This study aimed to analyze the association between total and types of noodle intake and the risk of hypertension among Korean adults. Subjects aged 40–69 years were selected for this study.




SUBJECTS/METHODS This study included 56,580 participants (18,246 men and 38,334 women) aged 40–69 years old from the Health Examinees study. Noodle and nutrient intakes were assessed using the food frequency questionnaire. Hypertension was diagnosed as systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg or antihypertensive medication use. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for hypertension.




RESULTS Higher noodle consumption was associated with increased hypertension among men (HR, 1.273; 95% CI, 1.166–1.390) and women (HR, 1.116; 95% CI, 1.038–1.199).




CONCLUSION We recommended reducing noodle intake and consuming vegetables and fruits to increase potassium intake, which can prevent vascular diseases.