A DASH of Good Health in Your Diet.

4/18/2008

Many of us choose to go on a diet to reduce our weight and feel better. But did you know there might be a diet that can also lower your blood pressure? It's called DASH - which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. 

Researchers from several major health organizations* were involved in the study which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers knew that previous studies showed a vegetarian diet could improve blood pressure. They also knew that many Americans won't eat such a strict diet. Their goal was to find a vegetarian-based diet that included enough dairy and meat products to be appealing to the public. 

After putting hundreds of people on several different test diets, they came up with one that worked. In the DASH diet, meals are centered around carbohydrates such as rice and pasta, and are rich with fruits and vegetables. Meats are not the centerpiece of the meals, but can be included in them. 

Amazingly, after just one week on the diet, researchers saw an improvement in the blood pressures of the dieters. And, they found the diet had the greatest impact on the blood pressures of African Americans. 

For more on the DASH diet, go to www.bwh.harvard.edu or ask your doctor. 

*The study included Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Duke University Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University and Pennington Biomedical Research Center. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute was also a partner in the research.