Can the DASH diet reduce heart damage? Original paper

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet emphasizes consumption of potassium-rich fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, and nuts and seeds; it restricts red meat and refined sugar and (typically) reduces sodium intake.

The DASH diet has been shown to (and in fact was designed to) reduce blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.^[1] In theory, this could result in less damage to the heart and vascular system, but few studies have tested this possibility.

This 12-week randomized controlled trial examined the effect of a DASH diet on markers of heart damage and inflammation. The study included a total of 412 participants with elevated blood pressure (defined as systolic BP of 120–159 mmHg and diastolic BP of 80–95 mmHg).

The participants were assigned to follow either a DASH diet or control diet (referred to as “a typical American diet”). Compared to the control diet, the DASH diet was higher in fiber, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and carbohydrates and lower in saturated fat and cholesterol. The diets contained similar amounts of sodium.

The outcomes assessed were cardiac troponin I (cTnl; a marker of heart damage), C-reactive protein (CRP; a marker of inflammation), and N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP; a marker of heart strain). These outcomes were assessed at weeks 4, 8, and 12.

Compared to the control diet, the DASH diet decreased levels of cTnl (–17.8% by week 12) and CRP (–20% by week 12). These markers trended lower during each successive 4-week period on the DASH diet.

The two diets did not differ in their effects on NT-proBNP.