PUBLISHED IN: Br J Gen Pract. 2010 Dec 1; 60(581): 879–880
Rachel Nicoll Michael Y Henein
Canterbury Christ Church University, UK, and Heart Centre and Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå, Sweden
The DASH diet is low in total and saturated fat, red meat, sugar, sugary drinks, and refined carbohydrates, but high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, poultry, and low-fat dairy products. The DASH diet has been found to lower weight, heart rate, risk of type 2 diabetes, C-reactive protein, apolipoprotein B, and homocysteine and is associated with a lower incidence of heart failure, all-cause mortality, and stroke.11–12
The Optimal Macronutrient Intake Trial to Prevent Heart Disease (or OMNIHeart trial) found that replacement of some of the DASH diet’s carbohydrate intake with either protein (50% from plant sources) or unsaturated fat (mainly monounsaturated, found in olives and olive oil) could reduce blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein, homocysteine, and coronary heart disease risk even further.13–14
The PREMIER trial found that the DASH diet combined with alcohol and salt reduction, weight loss, and aerobic exercise achieved a reduction of 14.2/7.4 mmHg among hypertensives, while hypertension prevalence fell over a period of 6 months from 38% to 12%.15 Salt reduction, possibly the single most important hypotensive measure, involves staying away from processed foods, regularly checking food labels for salt content, and using herbs or spices for flavour.16
Other successful approaches include the Mediterranean diet, essentially the DASH diet with low sodium and with added garlic and increased omega-3-containing fish: both powerful hypotensives. The Mediterranean diet is also inversely associated with diabetes, obesity, and hypercholesterolaemia among high-risk patients, and was recently advocated by the Mayo Clinic for women’s heart health. Drinking green tea and modest quantities of red wine are also effective.17–18
Expect about a 1 mm Hg drop in systolic pressure for every 2 pounds you lose.
Or Weight reduction may lower blood pressure by 5-20 mm Hg per 10 kg of weight loss
