Parvin joola - MSc of Nutrition Sciences, Department of Non Communicable Disease, Deputy of Health, Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Dezful, Iran
Esmat Mombaini - MSc of Nutrition Sciences, School of Paramedicine, Deputy of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

Background and Aim: A rising prevalence of hypertension worldwide has been reported in the past two decades. Number of epidemiological studies indicated that low dietary calcium constituted a significant risk factor for primary hypertension and higher calcium intake helped to reduce blood pressure. The objective of this study is to investigate the association of the dietary calcium intake with the risk of blood pressure in patients with metabolic syndrome.Methods: In this analytical cross-sectional study, 90 patients with metabolic syndrome (mean age 41 yrs) were randomly selected from Golestan hospital in Ahvaz. Food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to collect data on food items for their past year s consumption. Blood pressure levels was measured and monitored every 2 weeks for 3-month according to the european society of hypertension international protocol. The data were entered in SPSS software version 16.0 and were analyzed by correlation tests. Significant was set at P value < 0.05.Results: A significant negative correlation was found between dietary calcium intake and diastolic blood pressure (P value < 0.01, r=0.53) and a significant but weak correlations were found between the dietary intake of calcium and systolic blood pressure (P value < 0.03, r=0.22).Conclusion: dietary calcium intake was inversely related to blood pressure. This result is consistent with recommendations that a diet high in dairy products be part of healthy lifestyle for prevention of high blood pressure and related diseases.

dietary calcium intake, blood pressure, metabolic syndrome