The DASH diet: A great way to eat foods that are healthy AND delicious

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is an eating plan based on eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and choosing lean proteins, low-fat dairy, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils, while limiting sweets and foods high in saturated fats. A recent study published the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that men and women younger than 75 who most closely followed the DASH diet had a significantly lower risk of heart failure compared to study participants who did not follow the DASH diet. Currently, about 5.7 million adults in the United States have heart failure, and about half of those who develop heart failure die within five years of diagnosis. The DASH diet and heart health This latest study adds to established research linking the DASH diet with heart health. For example, the original DASH trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1997, found that the DASH diet reduced blood pressure in adults with borderline high blood pressure (hypertension). Importantly, the DASH trial represented a broad spectrum of men and women, including racial and ethnic minorities from a variety of socioeconomic levels. In a second study, researchers added a low-sodium modification to the DASH diet. In this trial, participants following a DASH diet were randomized to receive 3,000, 2,300, or 1,500 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day. The study found that the low-sodium (1,500 mg/day) DASH diet was as effective for lowering blood pressure as a first-l...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Food as medicine Health Healthy Eating Heart Health Source Type: blogs