Rapid Fire Oral Presentation 49th Nutrition Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2025

Supplementation of New Zealand hemp seed protein improves arterial health in adults with increased cardiovascular risk (128369)

Ben DG Wright 1 , Keegan Burrow 1 , Alison Wallace 2 , Michael Hamlin 1
  1. Lincoln University, Christchurch Central, CAN, New Zealand
  2. Food and Health Information, Food and Bioproducts Technology Group, New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science Limited, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand

The consumption of hemp derived protein has shown potential to improve cardiovascular disease risk factors(1) For example, Samsamikor et al.(2) showed the efficacy of hemp seed protein in ameliorating high blood pressure in adults with hypertension. However, the effects of hemp seed protein consumption on arterial stiffening have not to our knowledge been investigated in humans. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of New Zealand hemp seed protein on blood pressure and measures of arterial stiffening in adults with one or more risk factor(s) for cardiovascular disease. A randomised control trial was conducted with 33 participants for 16 weeks in which the experimental group consumed 28g of hemp seed protein extract for 5 out of every 7 days while 15 participants acted as a control group instructed to keep their regular daily diet over the experimental period. Blood pressure and arterial stiffening were measured at weeks 1, 8 and 16 using a SphygmoCor Excel device. A linear mixed model was used to analyse the repeated measures for affect differences between weeks, featuring Welches T-Test for uneven variance and an ANOVA test for p-values of the fixed effects. The model included a covariate analysis of the baseline measurement and used Tukey post hoc analysis for pairwise comparisons within and between the experimental and control groups. Results showed that compared to the control group, the experimental group decreased central systolic blood pressure by 6.2 ± 2.2 mmHg (mean ± SE, 95% CI [-1.9, -10.6], p = <0.05), mean arterial pressure by 6.2  ± 2.0 mmHg (95% CI [-2.2, -10.3], p = <0.05) ), augmentation index at 75 bpm by 9  ± 1.8 mmHg (95% CI [-5.4,-12.6], p = <0.05) augmented pressure by 7.3 ± 1.5 mmHg (95% CI [-4.3,-7.3], p = <0.05), and reflection magnitude by 8.3 ± 1.7% (95% CI [-4.9,-11.7], p = <0.05). However, no significant changes were observed in brachial blood pressures. These results suggest that hemp seed protein improves central arterial health in at risk adults after 16 weeks of supplementation. It is hypothesised that reduction in arterial stiffness measurements might be attributed to the ability of hemp seed protein to attenuate endothelial dysfunction through increased nitric oxide production(3).

  1. B Farinon, R Molinari, L Costantini et al (2020). Nutrients 12(7), 1935.
  2. M Samsamikor, D Mackay, S Mollard et al (2024). Am J clin nutr 120(1), 56–65.
  3. R Mahbub, E Callcott, S Rao et al. (2022) Food Biosci 45 101504