The DASH diet: an eating plan for healthy blood pressure
Nutrition
Key points
- DASH lowered blood pressure by 5.5/3.0 mm Hg, and by 11.4/5.5 in people with hypertension.
- DASH plus lower sodium produced the largest drop.
- The foundation: vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans and nuts.
- The effect appeared within 2 weeks.
What the research shows
The original DASH trial. Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the trial gave 459 adults one of three diets for 8 weeks with sodium held constant. The DASH diet lowered blood pressure by 5.5/3.0 mm Hg more than a typical American diet. In participants with hypertension, the drop was 11.4/5.5 mm Hg, similar to a single blood pressure medication. The effect appeared within 2 weeks (Appel et al., 1997).
DASH plus less sodium. The follow-up DASH-Sodium trial tested the diet at three sodium levels. Blood pressure fell with each step down in sodium, and the combination of DASH with the lowest sodium level (about 1,500 mg a day) produced the largest reduction (Sacks et al., 2001). A Cochrane review confirmed that cutting salt lowers blood pressure (He et al., 2013).
DASH in a day (2,000 calories)
| Food group | Daily servings |
|---|---|
| Whole grains | 6–8 |
| Vegetables | 4–5 |
| Fruit | 4–5 |
| Low-fat or fat-free dairy | 2–3 |
| Lean meat, poultry or fish | 6 oz or less |
| Nuts, seeds and legumes | 4–5 per week |
| Fats and oils | 2–3 |
| Sweets | 5 or fewer per week |
Simple ways to start
- Add a vegetable to lunch and dinner and a fruit to breakfast.
- Choose whole-grain bread, oatmeal and brown rice.
- Snack on unsalted nuts or yogurt.
- Use herbs and spices instead of salt.
Frequently asked questions
Is DASH only for people with high blood pressure?
No. It is a balanced eating pattern that suits most adults, and the American Heart Association and U.S. News rankings routinely place it among the healthiest diets.
Do I have to give up meat?
No. DASH includes poultry and fish and limits red meat and sweets.
Sources
- Appel et al. (1997). A Clinical Trial of the Effects of Dietary Patterns on Blood Pressure. New England Journal of Medicine 336(16):1117-1124. doi:10.1056/NEJM199704173361601
- Sacks et al. (2001). Effects on Blood Pressure of Reduced Dietary Sodium and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet. New England Journal of Medicine 344(1):3-10. doi:10.1056/NEJM200101043440101
- He et al. (2013). Effect of longer term modest salt reduction on blood pressure: Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials. BMJ 346(apr03 3):f1325-f1325. doi:10.1136/bmj.f1325
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. DASH Eating Plan. www.nhlbi.nih.gov
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