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Dairy Council Digest Archives
A New Look At Dietary Patterns and Hypertension
Summary
An estimated 50 million American adults have hypertension (high blood pressure), a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Lifestyle approaches to prevent or treat hypertension include dietary changes, losing weight if overweight, stopping smoking, limiting alcohol intake, and increasing physical activity. Traditionally, dietary changes have focused on single nutrients, such as limiting salt/sodium intake.
Almost 20 years ago, researchers reported that changes in the overall dietary pattern to include more dairy foods, fruits and vegetables could lower blood pressure. Support for this strategy has recently been provided by a large-scale study in the U.S. called DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). This government-sponsored multicenter study involved over 450 adults randomly assigned to one of three dietary regimens for eight weeks. Findings revealed that consuming a low fat diet rich in lowfat dairy foods, fruits, and vegetables (i.e., the so-called DASH diet) reduced blood pressure. Although a diet rich in fruits and vegetables also lowered blood pressure, it was less effective than the DASH combination diet containing dairy foods.
The blood pressure-lowering effect of the DASH diet was particularly beneficial for hypertensives and African Americans who are at high risk for hypertension. The DASH diet has also been found to lower blood homocysteine levels. High blood levels of this amino acid are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
A follow-up study, called the DASH-Sodium trial, has confirmed the blood pressure-lowering effect of the DASH diet. Reducing sodium intake in combination with the DASH diet lowered blood pressure even further. According to the researchers, consuming the DASH diet along with restricting sodium intake to about 1.5g/day (i.e., a level below the current recommendation of 2.4g/day) is an effective strategy to reduce blood pressure. However, they acknowledge that the long-term health benefits of this dietary pattern, as well as various practical considerations, such as people’s willingness to consistently choose lower-sodium foods, are unknown.
The DASH diet is high in nutrients such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Studies have demonstrated that these nutrients, which are found in dairy foods, reduce blood pressure. In fact, there is compelling agreement in the scientific literature to support recommended intakes of calcium (1,000 to 1,500mg/day) from foods such as dairy foods to reduce blood pressure and the risk for hypertension.
Since the first DASH trial was published in 1997, support for the DASH dietary pattern by a variety of health professional groups, such as the American Heart Association, has continued to grow. Today, the strategy of choice to prevent and treat hypertension is not just dietary restrictions, but more importantly, consumption of foods such as lowfat dairy foods, fruits, and vegetables.
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