More than a billion people suffer from high blood pressure, and this figure is growing. The number of persons with high blood pressure has doubled in the previous 40 years.
Since high blood pressure can be due to an increased risk of disorders, including heart disease, kidney failure, and stroke. Scientists have developed specialized dietary methods to assist lower blood pressure because nutrition is known to play a significant impact in causing high blood pressure.
In this article, we will discuss what the DASH diet is and how it helps people manage high blood pressure and lower their risk of developing heart disease.
What is the DASH Diet?
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) is followed by people who want to handle hypertension, often known as high blood pressure, and lower their risk of heart disease and are advised to pursue a DASH diet. The main elements of the DASH diet are lean meats, fruits, and vegetables.
The diet was created as a result of studies showing that those who ate a plant-based diet, such as vegans and vegetarians, had much lower rates of high blood pressure.
Because of this, the DASH diet emphasizes fruits and vegetables while also including certain lean protein sources, such as chicken, fish, and legumes. In addition, red meat, salt, added sugars, and fat are all restricted in the diet.
According to scientists, this diet limiting salt consumption is one of the key reasons people with high blood pressure can benefit from it. The standard DASH diet regimen recommends consuming no more sodium than 1 teaspoon (2,300 mg) per day, per the majority of national recommendations. The version with less salt advises taking no more than 3/4 teaspoon (1,500 mg) of sodium each day.
Potential Benefits of the DASH Diet
Besides lowering blood pressure, the DASH diet may also lead to weight loss and a lower chance of developing cancer. The diet affects your body in several ways. Here is how:
- Lowers Blood Pressure
Interestingly, the DASH diet lowers blood pressure in both healthy people and those with high blood pressure. Furthermore, people following the DASH diet still had lower blood pressure even if they didn’t cut back on salt intake or lose weight. The DASH diet lowered blood pressure when sodium intake was limited. In actuality, those who consumed the least salt experienced the most significant drops in blood pressure.
People with high blood pressure find the greatest improvements from the low-salt DASH diet. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure decrease by about 12 and 5 mmHg, respectively.
It decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 4 mmHg and 2 mmHg respectively.
- May Aid Weight Loss
You will likely receive advice to decrease weight if you already have high blood pressure. According to research, the DASH diet can help people lose weight. People may discover that they automatically reduce their calorie consumption and lose weight when following the DASH diet since it excludes many high-fat, sugary meals.
- Other Potential Health Benefits
DASH diet may have an impact on various aspects of health. Such as:
- Reduces the risk of specific cancer, such as colorectal and breast cancer.
- Reduces risk of metabolic syndrome
- Reduces diabetes risk
- Reduces the risk of heart disease
