Bifidobacterium Mediates the Associations Between the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet and Blood Pressure and Blood Lipids in Chinese Adults.

Greater DASH diet adherence was significantly associated with lower diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in Chinese adults.

• Standardized beta (sβ) = -0.180, p = 0.027 for the association between DASH diet adherence and DBP
• Study recruited 879 Chinese adults aged over 18 years
• DASH diet adherence was evaluated using a food frequency questionnaire
• Blood pressure measurements were obtained during physical examinations

Greater DASH diet adherence was significantly associated with lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in Chinese adults.

• Standardized beta (sβ) = -0.268, p = 0.002 for the association between DASH diet adherence and LDL-C
• This association was statistically stronger than that observed for DBP
• Blood lipid measurements were obtained during physical examinations
• No significant association with systolic blood pressure was reported

Five bacterial genera were associated with DASH diet adherence at a statistically significant threshold.

• Five bacterial genera met the significance threshold of q-value < 0.15
• Gut microbiota was analysed via 16S rRNA sequencing
• Among the five genera, Bifidobacterium was inversely linked to both DBP and LDL-C (p < 0.050)
• Two species within Bifidobacterium were detected: Bifidobacterium kashiwanohense and Bifidobacterium longum

Bifidobacterium kashiwanohense and Bifidobacterium longum mediated the associations between DASH diet adherence and DBP and/or LDL-C.

• Average causal mediation effect (ACME) ranged from -0.027 to -0.018 for both species (p < 0.050)
• Proportion mediated ranged from 8.22% to 9.04%
• Both species explained the associations of the DASH diet with DBP and/or LDL-C
• Mediation was partial, as Bifidobacterium only partly explained these relationships

Bifidobacterium was inversely associated with both DBP and LDL-C at the genus level.

• The inverse association between Bifidobacterium and both DBP and LDL-C was statistically significant (p < 0.050)
• Bifidobacterium was the only genus among the five DASH-associated genera reported to be linked to both blood pressure and lipid outcomes
• Two distinct Bifidobacterium species (B. kashiwanohense and B. longum) were identified within this genus in the study population