Dietary vitamin intake and its association with hypertension (HPT) among Malaysian adults

This study aims to investigate the association between dietary vitamin (A, B₆, B₉, B₁₂, C, E, and K) intake and hypertension (HPT) among Malaysian adult population. This is a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a population-based cohort of 10,031 participants from the Malaysia arm of the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. Participants were classified as having HPT if they reported a diagnosis of high blood pressure (systolic blood pressure (SBP)/diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > 140/90). Participants' usual dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Vitamin (A, B₆, B₉, B₁₂, C, E, and K) intake was calculated using nutrient databases. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to assess differences in vitamin intake between the HPT groups. This study found that the prevalence of HPT among 10,031 respondents was 43.5%. The overall dietary intake of vitamins A and C was adequate, but the intake of vitamins B₆, B₉, B₁₂, E, and K was inadequate compared to Malaysia's Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNI). The intake of vitamins A, B₆, B₉, B₁₂, E, and K was significantly lower among patients with HPT compared to those without HPT (p-value < 0.001). This study found that the Malaysian adult population is not receiving sufficient intake of vitamins B₆, B₉, B₁₂, E, and K from their diet. Improving vitamin intake can be achieved through nutrition education, a diet that includes a variety of healthy foods, and food fortification and supplementation.