DASH diet could slash estimated CHD risk

8 September 2010

MedWire News: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan may reduce a person’s estimated risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) in the next 10 years by 18% compared with a typical American eating pattern, research suggests.

The DASH diet – rich in fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, with reduced fat and cholesterol – appears to particularly benefit African Americans.

Previously, the DASH trial showed that the diet lowered blood pressure and total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, albeit also decreasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

In the current analysis, Lawrence Appel (Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA) and colleagues examined its effect on CHD risk.

The study included 436 DASH-trial participants with complete data, who were an average age of 44.7 years and of whom 60% were African Americans.

None were taking antihypertensive medication, but all had either stage I hypertension (140-159/90-99 mmHg) or were prehypertensive (120-139/80-89 mmHg).

Participants were randomly assigned to receive one of three diets for 8 weeks: the DASH diet; a typical American diet, low in minerals and high in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol; or the American diet enriched with fruit and vegetables. Weight was held constant.

The primary outcome of median estimated 10-year CHD risk determined from Framingham risk equations was 0.98% at baseline and decreased in all diet groups.

Consumption of the DASH diet significantly reduced estimated 10-year CHD risk, with a relative risk ratio of 0.82 compared with the typical American diet, and 0.89 compared with the American diet enriched with fruit and vegetables.

There was a nonsignificant trend toward a reduction in CHD risk associated with enriching the American diet with fruit and vegetables compared with the American diet alone.

Apart from an interaction between dietary pattern and race suggesting a greater risk reduction in African Americans than Whites, results were similar across subgroups.

Reporting in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, the researchers conclude: “In addition to decreasing blood pressure, renewed efforts to promote the DASH dietary pattern could prevent CHD and have great public health implications given the enormous and persistent burden of CHD.”

MedWire (www.medwire-news.md) is an independent clinical news service provided by Current Medicine Group, a trading division of Springer Healthcare Limited. © Springer Healthcare Ltd; 2010

Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2010; Advance online publication