Why the DASH Eating Plan Works

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DASH EATING PLAN

Why the DASH

Eating Plan Works

HEALTHY EATING, PROVEN RESULTS

Scientiﬁc studies show

that following DASH

and eating less sodium

can help you lower

your blood pressure

and LDL cholesterol.

What you choose to eat affects your

chances of developing hypertension,

otherwise known as high blood

pressure. Blood pressure can be

unhealthy even if it stays only slightly

above the optimal level of less than

120/80 mmHg. The more your blood

pressure rises above normal, the

greater the health risk.

Scientists supported by the National

Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

(NHLBI) have conducted multiple

scientiﬁc trials since the Dietary

Approaches to Stop Hypertension

—

or DASH eating plan

—

was developed

more than 20 years ago. Their ﬁnd-

ings showed that blood pressures

were reduced with an eating plan that

emphasizes vegetables, fruits, and

whole grains and includes ﬁsh, poul-

try, beans, nuts, and healthy oils. It

limits foods that are high in saturated

fat, such as fatty meats, full-fat dairy

products, and tropical oils such as

coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils.

It is also lower in sodium compared

to the typical American diet and

reduces sugar-sweetened beverages

and sweets.

The DASH eating plan follows heart

healthy guidelines to limit saturated

fat and trans fat. It focuses on eating

more foods rich in nutrients that can

help lower blood pressure

—

m a i n l y

minerals (like potassium, calcium,

and magnesium), protein, and ﬁber.

It includes nutrient-rich foods so

that it also meets other nutrient

requirements as recommended by

the National Academies of Sciences,

Engineering, and Medicine.

DAILY NUTRIENT

LEVELS OF THE ORIGINAL

DASH EATING PLAN

Total Fat

27% of calories

Saturated Fat

6% of calories

Protein

18% of calories

Carbohydrate

55% of calories

Sodium

2,300 mg*

Potassium

4,700 mg

Calcium

1, 250 mg

Magnesium

500 mg

Cholesterol

150 mg

Fiber

30 g

* Lower sodium to 1,500 mg for further reduction in blood

pressure, if needed.

The DASH Eating Plan is a heart healthy approach

that has been scientiﬁcally proven to lower

blood pressure and have other health beneﬁts.

To learn more, go to www.nhlbi.nih.gov/DASH.

The Science Behind the DASH Eating Plan

The importance of eating more vegetables, fruits, whole

grains along with low-fat dairy, poultry, ﬁsh, beans, and nuts

has been proven in multiple research trials. The combination

of the DASH eating plan and reduced sodium creates the

biggest beneﬁt, lowering blood pressure signiﬁcantly.

STUDY 1 Original DASH eating plan

The ﬁrst DASH trial involved 459

adults with systolic blood pressures

of less than 160 mmHg and diastolic

pressures of 80–95 mmHg. About 27

percent of the participants had high

blood pressure. About 50 percent were

women and 60 percent were African

Americans. It compared three eating

plans: one that included foods similar

to what many Americans regularly

eat; one that included foods similar to

what many Americans regularly eat

plus more fruits and vegetables; and

the DASH eating plan. All three plans

included about 3,000 milligrams of

sodium daily. None of the plans were

vegetarian or used specialty foods.

Results were dramatic. Participants

who followed either the plan that

included more fruits and vegetables

or the DASH eating plan had reduced

blood pressure. But the DASH eat-

ing plan had the greatest effect,

especially for those with high blood

pressure. Furthermore, the blood

pressure reductions came fast

—

within 2 weeks of starting the plan.

STUDY 2 Varied sodium levels

The second DASH trial looked at the

effect on blood pressure of a reduced

dietary sodium intake as participants

followed either the DASH eating plan

or an eating plan typical of what

many Americans consume. This trial

involved 412 participants. Participants

were randomly assigned to one of the

two eating plans and then followed for

a month at each of the three sodium

levels. The three sodium levels were:

a higher intake of about 3,300 mil-

ligrams per day (the level consumed

by many Americans), an intermediate

intake of about 2,300 milligrams per

day, and a lower intake of about 1,500

milligrams per day.

Results showed that reducing dietary

sodium lowered blood pressure for

both eating plans. At each sodium

level, blood pressure was lower on

DASH than on the typical American

eating plan. The greatest blood pres-

sure reductions were for DASH at the

sodium intake of 1,500 milligrams per

day. Those with high blood pressure

saw the greatest reductions.

STUDY 3 Higher protein or

healthy fats

As the science around DASH evolves

over time, the overall beneﬁts to heart

health continue to be evaluated. The

OmniHeart (Optimal Macronutrient

Intake Trial for Heart Health) trial

studied the effect of replacing some

daily carbohydrates

—

or carbs

—

with

either protein (about half from plant

sources) or unsaturated fat. This trial

included 164 adults who had systolic

blood pressure readings of 120 to

159 mmHg. The trial compared three

dietary patterns, each containing

2,300 mg of sodium per day

—

the

original DASH plan, substituting 10

percent of daily carbs with protein,

and substituting 10 percent of total

daily carbs with unsaturated fat.

OmniHeart found that participants

who followed either variation of

DASH, partially substituting carbs

with protein (about half from plant

sources) or unsaturated fat, had

greater reductions in blood pressure

and improvements in blood lipid levels

than those who followed the original

DASH eating plan.

Success with DASH

DASH along with other lifestyle

changes can help you prevent and

control high blood pressure. In fact,

if your blood pressure is not too high,

you may be able to control it entirely

by changing your eating habits, losing

weight if you are overweight, getting

regular physical activity, and cutting

down on alcohol. DASH also has other

beneﬁts, such as lowering LDL (“bad”)

cholesterol, and replacing some carbs

with protein or unsaturated fat can

have an even greater effect. Along

with lowering blood pressure, lower

cholesterol can reduce your risk for

heart disease.

The DASH Eating Plan is a heart healthy approach

that has been scientiﬁcally proven to lower

blood pressure and have other health beneﬁts.

To learn more, go to www.nhlbi.nih.gov/DASH.