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Background: Consumption of plant foods and dairy and meat products may moderate increases in blood pressure.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate associations of dietary intake with the 15-y incidence of elevated blood pressure (EBP; ie, incident systolic BP ≥ 130 mm Hg, diastolic BP ≥ 85 mm Hg, or use of antihypertensive medication).

Design: Proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate relations of dietary intake at years 0 and 7 with the 15-y incidence of EBP in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study of 4304 participants aged 18–30 y at baseline.

Results: EBP incidence varied from 12% in white women to 33% in black men. Plant food intake (whole grains, refined grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, or legumes) was inversely related to EBP after adjustment for age, sex, race, center, energy intake, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and other potential confounding …