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Heart Health
Beyond blood pressure: Added benefits from the DASH diet
- By Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
Research we're watching
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating pattern doesn’t just lower blood pressure. It also reduces inflammation, heart injury, and heart strain, according to a study published in the June 1, 2021, Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Long considered one of the healthiest diets for the heart, the DASH diet features whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products as well as fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and healthy oils. For the study, researchers measured three cardiovascular biomarkers (substances known to reflect heart health) in stored blood samples from the original DASH study in the late 1990s. Participants followed either a DASH diet or a typical American diet, and within those two groups, each was assigned to one of three sodium levels (low, medium, or high) for four weeks.
Among people on the DASH diet, biomarkers linked to heart injury and inflammation dropped by 18% and 13%, respectively, compared with a typical diet. Biomarkers for heart injury and heart strain went down 20% to 23% among those following the low-sodium DASH diet.
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An alarming one in three American adults has high blood pressure. Known medically as hypertension, many people don't even know they have it, because high blood pressure has no symptoms or warning signs. But when elevated blood pressure is accompanied by abnormal cholesterol and blood sugar levels, the damage to your arteries, kidneys, and heart accelerates exponentially. Fortunately, high blood pressure is easy to detect and treat. In the Special Health Report, Controlling Your Blood Pressure, find out how to keep blood pressure in a healthy range simply by making lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, increasing activity, and eating more healthfully.
