Fruits and vegetables lower blood pressure, and people on vegetarian diets have lower blood pressure readings than those eating omnivorous (meat + plants) diets, according to a medical data study by the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston Massachusetts. The study titled, "A Dietary Approach to Prevent Hypertension: Review of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Study," is published on the PubMed web site, and is dated July 22, 1999. The authors of the study are:
- Sacks FM.
- Appel LJ.
- Moore TJ.
- Obarzanek E.
- Vollmer WM.
- Svetkey LP.
- Bray GA.
- Vogt TM.
- Cutler Ja.
- Windhauser MM.
- Li n PH.
- Karanja N.
DASH Diet Meal Plans
The dietary pattern of the DASH combination diet is the eating of lots of “...fruits, vegetables, nuts, and low-fat dairy products...fish and chicken rather than red meat [beef, pork, lamb]. Foods low in saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar, and refined [foreign matter removed] carbohydrate [starches, sugars, glycogens, cellulose, and gums]...” according to information in the blood pressure study by Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
High Blood Pressure Diet Study
Two hypotheses about diet and high blood pressure were tested by the study. The first hypothesis was that people will lower their blood pressure by changing to a diet high in fruits and vegetables. The second hypothesis was that people will lower their blood pressure by changing to a DASH diet, or a DASH combination diet (DASH diet plus fish and chicken).
According to the article there were 459 adult participants in the study. All had untreated high systolic blood pressure (systolic- ventricles are contracting causing pressure against the walls of the arteries). Participants ate a control diet ( including red meat) and sugar for three weeks. They were then split into three groups, and put on three different diets for eight weeks:
- The control diet.
- The DASH combination diet.
- The DASH diet.
The body weight and sodium intake were held constant for eight weeks. Their blood pressure was monitored daily.
Hypertension Causes
The results of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital controlled study was that the DASH diet lowered systolic blood pressure significantly by an average of 5.5/3.0 mmHG (unit of pressure measurement). The DASH combination diet also reduced blood pressure, but to a lesser extent compared with the DASH diet. The conclusion of the study was “The DASH diet may offer an alternative to drug therapy in hypertensives and, as a population approach, may prevent hypertension, particularly in African Americans.”
According to Mosby’s Medical Dictionary, 8th edition, the definition of DASH is a diet “approach to stop hypertension....a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products; low in saturated and total fats; low in cholesterol; and high in fiber. Research studies support the hypothesis that this diet reduces blood pressure and may play a role in prevention of high blood pressure.” The Women’s Hospital study also found that a DASH combination plan (DASH plus fish and chicken) also can lower blood pressure.
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