DASH diet offers even more benefits for black adults and women – Harvard Gazette

In a new study, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center compared the effects of three dietary patterns on a patient’s risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event within the next 10 years. Fruits and vegetables, and a Western diet typically low in fruits and vegetables and high in fat and sodium.

The team’s findings showed that while the DASH and fruit/vegetable diets each reduced risk scores by approximately 10% over 8 weeks, the DASH diet provided additional benefits for women and black adults compared to the Western diet. The results suggest that American Journal of Cardiology.

“Physicians and patients rely on the extensive data available when choosing the appropriate pharmacotherapy to prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but the risks associated with established lifestyle interventions are limited. Evidence informing reduced expectations is limited.” BIDMC School of Medicine.

“Our study suggests that these diet-related benefits may vary by gender and race. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables reduce risk in female and black participants. “But the DASH diet was twice as effective in women and four times as effective in black adults,” he explained.

To determine the effect of different diets on individual atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk, Juraschek and colleagues enrolled 22- to 75-year-olds in the original DASH trial between 1994 and 1996. We obtained data from 459 adults in . Black—Randomized to one of three diets for 8 weeks. The control diet was high in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. The fruit and vegetable diet provided more produce, but was otherwise not significantly different from the control diet. It emphasized many whole grains, lean protein, nuts and low-fat dairy products, and reduced fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sugar. In adults, the DASH diet was shown not only to lower systolic blood pressure, but also to lower HDL cholesterol levels compared to a control diet. A diet high in fruits and vegetables did not significantly lower systolic blood pressure, but was also shown to improve HDL cholesterol levels.

Juraschek and colleagues compared the data and found that both the DASH diet and the fruit and vegetable diet reduced participants’ 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by approximately 10% overall. I was. However, the effect was not consistent across demographics. The DASH diet reduced her 10-year risk score in women by nearly 13%, but in men by just over 6%. In addition, DASH reduced her 10-year risk score in black adults by nearly 14% compared to just 3% in non-black adults.

“The findings may have significant implications for both clinicians and policy makers,” said lead author Sun Young Jeong, a medical resident at BIDMC. “Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, and hypertension is more strongly associated with heart failure and death in women than in men. Women are also less likely to receive risk factor-modifying therapies such as statins. The finding that DASH may be more effective in women is relevant to lifestyle counseling in this group, as we also know that

“Similarly, disparities in access to healthy foods have become a major focus of policy efforts to increase fruit and vegetable intake among black adults,” said Djurashek, who is also an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. I’m here. “Our study suggests that a DASH dietary pattern may have more protective effect in black adults than an emphasis on fruits and vegetables alone. It is particularly important because it has been identified as one of the most important mediators of hypertension risk in black adults.”

Co-authors include Christina C. Wee and Kenneth J. Mukamal of BIDMC, Lara C. Kovell of University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine, Timothy B. Plante of University of Vermont, Edgar R. Miller III and Lawrence J. Appel . of Johns Hopkins University.

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant K23HL135273-03 and R21HL144876-01). The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.