What are the DASH diet’s main benefits?

    Last Updated: July 2, 2024

    The dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) diet was originally designed as a tool for managing high blood pressure. In the DASH trial, following a DASH diet reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressures significantly, and results were seen within 2 weeks.[1] The DASH diet’s ability to reduce blood pressure is supported by multiple reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical trials.[2][3][4][5][6][7] Outside of controlled clinical environments, the DASH diet can be more difficult for people to adhere to; however, the ENCORE study showed that if weight loss and exercise tools (such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and group support sessions) were used in conjunction with the DASH diet, blood pressure improvements were greater.[8]

    References

    1. ^Conlin PR, Chow D, Miller ER 3rd, Svetkey LP, Lin PH, Harsha DW, Moore TJ, Sacks FM, Appel LJThe effect of dietary patterns on blood pressure control in hypertensive patients: results from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trial.Am J Hypertens.(2000 Sep)
    2. ^Dori Steinberg, Gary G Bennett, Laura SvetkeyThe DASH Diet, 20 Years LaterJAMA.(2017 Apr 18)
    3. ^Siervo M, Lara J, Chowdhury S, Ashor A, Oggioni C, Mathers JCEffects of the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on cardiovascular risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysisBr J Nutr.(2015 Jan 14)
    4. ^Saneei P, Salehi-Abargouei A, Esmaillzadeh A, Azadbakht LInfluence of Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis on randomized controlled trialsNutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis.(2014 Dec)
    5. ^Christina D Filippou, Costas P Tsioufis, Costas G Thomopoulos, Costas C Mihas, Kyriakos S Dimitriadis, Lida I Sotiropoulou, Christina A Chrysochoou, Petros I Nihoyannopoulos, Dimitrios M TousoulisDietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet and Blood Pressure Reduction in Adults With and Without Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled TrialsAdv Nutr.(2020 Apr 24)
    6. ^Lari A, Sohouli MH, Fatahi S, Cerqueira HS, Santos HO, Pourrajab B, Rezaei M, Saneie S, Rahideh STThe effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on metabolic risk factors in patients with chronic disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis.(2021 Sep 22)
    7. ^Ru Guo, Nian Li, Rong Yang, Xiao-Yang Liao, Yu Zhang, Ben-Fu Zhu, Qian Zhao, Lingmin Chen, Yong-Gang Zhang, Yi LeiEffects of the Modified DASH Diet on Adults With Elevated Blood Pressure or Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisFront Nutr.(2021 Sep 7)
    8. ^Blumenthal JA, Babyak MA, Hinderliter A, Watkins LL, Craighead L, Lin PH, Caccia C, Johnson J, Waugh R, Sherwood AEffects of the DASH diet alone and in combination with exercise and weight loss on blood pressure and cardiovascular biomarkers in men and women with high blood pressure: the ENCORE study.Arch Intern Med.(2010 Jan 25)