The DASH diet delivers once again. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This diet includes multiple daily servings of vegetables and fruits as well as low-fat dairy products and whole grains. Over the years, the DASH diet has been shown to lower blood pressure. A new study demonstrates that following a DASH diet together with exercising and losing weight is even better for improving blood pressure and cardiovascular health.
The volunteers were healthy overweight people. They were randomly assigned to follow very different regimens. Some continued with their usual diet. Others followed a standard DASH diet. A third group used a DASH diet plus exercise to lose weight. Those in the weight loss group lost an average of 19 pounds during the four-year study. They also became more fit, presumably because of the exercise. Blood pressure was lowered by 16 over 10 points, compared to 11 over 8 points on the standard DASH diet. Volunteers in the usual care group lowered their blood pressure by about 3 to 4 points. The investigators conclude that the DASH diet plus exercise and weight loss can have as profound an impact on blood pressure control as aggressive drug treatment.
Archives of Internal Medicine Jan, 25th 2010
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