Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, is a pattern of eating recommended for individuals with chronic blood hypertension or those at risk of developing this condition. The main goal of this dash diet is to bring your blood pressure under control. Decrease the risk of cardiovascular events by including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your daily diet. Additionally, this diet limits your salt intake to 1 teaspoon per day (2,300 mg).
Interestingly, the DASH diet stems from scientific research that showed the low incidence of blood hypertension in vegans and vegetarians.
In this article, we will briefly cover the main benefits of the DASH diet. Let’s see how it can help you with different diseases.
The benefits of the DASH diet
1. Controls blood pressure
Obviously, the most important benefit of the DASH diet is to lower blood pressure.
The best thing about the diet is that it can lower blood pressure in healthy individuals and those diagnosed with chronic blood pressure. This is particularly important as it could reduce the incidence of this disease, as well as its complications.
In one study, researchers found that people on the DASH diet had lower blood pressure even without losing weight or getting regular exercise.
When people restricted their sodium intake, blood pressure levels dropped even further.
2. Leads to weight loss
Most people on the DASH diet experience weight loss. Which is due to the high incidence of obesity in patients with chronic blood hypertension. As a result, switching to a healthy diet that consists of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will inevitability shed a few pounds.
After losing weight, your quality of life will dramatically improve by eliminating some chronic symptoms, such as pain and restricted articular range of motion.
3. Lower the risk of heart disease
High blood pressure is a major risk factor of myocardial infarction (MI). Where the coronary artery gets clogged, resulting in cardiac tissue necrosis (i.e., death) and potentially life-threatening complications for the patient.
Fortunately, the diet also reduces the risk of MI by targeting some of its risk factors (e.g., high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol levels).
If you are dealing with heart disease, and you want to adopt the DASH diet, you should speak to your primary care physician for a tailored nutritional plan.
4. Other health benefits
- Reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome
- Reduces the risk of diabetes
- Lowers the risk of neurodegenerative diseases and some types of cancer
Note that ongoing research keeps unveiling new health benefits of the diet, which is quite promising.
Takeaway message
The DASH diet is an excellent eating pattern that optimizes your health and lowers the risk of chronic blood hypertension.
If you are diagnosed with this condition, this could be quite beneficial to prevent unnecessary complications of uncontrolled blood pressure.
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