DASH DIET: The Diet That Cause No Pain

A group of scientists from 5 main medical centers discovered that eating a specific diet containing nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy and whole grains can be an effective tool which helps to achieve weight loss and to lower blood pressure.

The so called DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) was found in 1996 in order to reduce blood pressure about the same level as a medication would. Since that time it has rapidly become one of the most popular diets prescribed in clinical practice today.

The American Heart Association recommends the DASH Diet in the USDA's 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It is also presented in the US High Blood Pressure Guidelines.

The DASH Diet Study involved 459 people to take part in the survey. They were randomly attached to one of three groups with different diet recommendation:

- The diet typical for average Americans
- The diet containing more fruits and vegetables, but still close to to the typical American diet
- The DASH DIET - reduced in red meat, sweets, and sugar-sweetened drinks, moderate in poultry, fish and nuts and finally rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products

Participants were told not to make any significant changes in their physical activity levels, in order to make sure they weren't doing anything else that could reduce their blood pressure.

They were often weighted to assure their weight didn't change; if someone gained or reduced weight, were given a bit less or more food to get them back to initial weight. All three diets contained the same level of Salt/sodium - it was fairly lower than the U.S. average, but still higher than the amount recommended by most guidelines.

The Results

No change in blood pressure was seen in the first group - among those who ate the typical American diet. The members of the second group, who ate the fruit and vegetable diet, noticed a significant reducing of their systolic blood pressure - The upper number, which measures blood pressure in the arteries when the heart pumps out blood - but insignificant change in their diastolic pressure. Among participants who consumed the DASH DIET for eight weeks a significant drop in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure was observed. Changes appeared within a week, stabilized within two weeks, and stayed reduced for the rest of the eight weeks.

Blood pressure dropped 5.5 mmHg (systolic) and 3.0 mmHg (diastolic) on average among all participants, including both those with hypertension and those with normal blood pressure. The blood presuure of those with hypertension fell an average of 11.4 mmHg (systolic) and 5.5 mmHg (diastolic). These improvements are similar to effects that can be reached by treatment with antihypertensive medication

The DASH diet, except lowering high blood pressure, has other positive health outcomes.

The very important fact is that the DASH diet reduced the participant's levels of cholesterol. If blood cholesterol is high, both cholesterol and other fatty substances are collected on vessels walls and and limit or obstruct the flow of blood to the heart. High level of cholesterol, which results from a diet rich in saturated fats, is a main risk factor for heart ilness.

A feature of the DASH diet is low level of total and saturated fat. Study's participants who were on this diet fell their cholesterol 14 points. The level of LDL, "bad" cholesterol, dropped 11 points. The HDL, "good" cholesterol dropped by 3.7 points. Such a type of drop in HDL level is noticed when people lower their general intake of fat. All the effects (LDL, HDL and changes in blood pressure), combined all together, resulted in a significant improvement in general cardiac risk with the DASH Diet.

Later, the Boston University Medical Center conducted the next study. They offered an online form of the DASH Diet to workers of a large US company. More than 4,000 people registered for the DASH Diet program. They got email reminders every week to log in to the special website providing information on topics such as reducing weight, exercise, paying attention to food labels, grocery shopping and more.

The users were spurred to put online all the changes they made to their lifestyle and health: exercise, diet, blood pressure and weight. After one year of participation in the DASH Diet program they lowered weight and significantly reduced their blood pressure. Fruits, vebegatbles and low-fat dairy products became an everyday part of their diet. The DASH DIET program was a real success, so the researchers made a decision to render it to the public online at DASH Diet.

The scientist claim that DASH Diet is suitable for all Americans because it doesn't require a lot of learning. It is based on real food, easily accessible in American groceries. The program let the dieters to link their dietary goals with foods that they like.
 
 

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