Analysis of Genes That Predispose People to Develop High Blood Pressure

Characteristic Men (n = 460) Women (n = 408) Age (y) 42.2 ± 0.6 45.4 ± 0.7 BMI (kg/m2) 25.6 ± 0.1 27.8 ± 0.3 TCHOL (mg/dL) 202.5 ± 2.1 215.7 ± 2.5 HDL (mg/dL) 52.6 ± 0.6 59.5 ± 0.8 TG (mg/dL) 63.9 ± 1.7 73.8 ± 2.3 SBP (mm Hg) 121.5 ± 0.6 121.4 ± 0.8 DBP (mm Hg) 77.6 ± 0.4 75.8 ± 0.4 Diabetes (%) 0.9 1.0 Current smokers (%) 20.0 0.0

• on lipid-lowering medications 1.1 1.0
• on antihypertensive medications 0.2 0.3

Inclusion criteria:

• Amish individuals from the Lancaster community in PA.

Study-wide Exclusion criteria:

• Age< 20 yrs
• Non-Amish descent
• Currently pregnant or postpartum <6 m
• Blood pressure at the time of screening >180/105 (SBB/DBP) mm Hg
• Prescription medication use potentially affecting outcomes and vitamin or over-the-counter remedies that cannot be willingly or safely discontinued from 1 week before protocol initiation and until the end of the study (ie, β-blockers; calcium channel antagonists; ACE inhibitors; diuretics; lipid-lowering agents; nitrates; systemic glucocorticoids; adrenergic or cholinergic-acting agents, including cold formulas and antidepressants; and diet-weight loss agents)
• Coexisting malignancy
• Serum creatinine>2.0 mg/dL
• AST or ALT >twice the upper limit of normal
• Hematocrit <32%
• TSH <0.4 or >5.5 mIU/L

Intervention-specific exclusion criteria:

• Cold pressor stress test: history of Raynaud's disease
• High-fat challenge: malabsorption disorders, lactose intolerance, symptoms of gallbladder disease, and/or history of pancreatitis
• Dietary salt intervention: stage III or greater congestive heart failure and/or allergies to foods in the diet
• Aspirin intervention: history of bleeding disorder, gastrointestinal bleeding, blood pressure at the time of screening >160/95 mm Hg, current use of aspirin for a condition that would place the subject at increased risk if it were to be discontinued for 14 days before protocol initiation (eg, history of unstable angina, myocardial infarction, angioplasty, coronary artery bypass grafting, atrial fibrillation, stroke or transient ischemic attack, type 2 diabetes, or deep vein thrombosis/other thrombosis), polycythemia (hematocrit >52%), thrombocytosis (platelet count > 500 000), thrombocytopenia (platelet count <75 000), surgery within the last 6 months, aspirin allergy, current breastfeeding, and/or aggregation with collagen 5 μg/mL <6.65 Ω or >26 Ω or no aggregation at baseline with arachidonic acid