Diet spanning infancy and toddlerhood is associated with child blood pressure at age 7.5 y.

BACKGROUND

Diet in the first 2 y of life may be a pivotal period regarding effects on future blood pressure (BP). However, data on early-life diet and BP in childhood are sparse.

OBJECTIVE

We prospectively assessed associations between types of diet spanning infancy and toddlerhood (ie, transition diets across the complementary feeding period) and BP at age 7.5 y.

DESIGN

In a birth cohort study (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children; United Kingdom), a total of 1229 children had complete dietary intake data at 6, 15, and 24 mo; BP data at 7.5 y of age; and all 18 covariables.

RESULTS

Of the 2 transition diets that were extracted by using principal components analysis, the less-healthy diet was associated with an increase in systolic BP of 0.62 mm Hg (95% CI: 0.00, 1.24 mm Hg) and an increase in diastolic BP of 0.55 mm Hg (95% CI: 0.10, 1.00 mm Hg) for every one-unit (SD) increase in the less-healthy-diet score after adjustment for 15 potential confounders, including maternal characteristics and sociodemographic factors, birth variables, and breastfeeding duration. In contrast with systolic BP, the positive association between the less-healthy transition-diet score and diastolic BP persisted after additional adjustment for child body-size factors [height, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference] at 7.5 y.

CONCLUSIONS

A less-healthy transition diet by age 2 y was associated with higher BP at 7.5 y. The BMI-related reduction in effect size reinforces the importance of BMI on the diet-BP relation.