The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet was originally developed years ago to treat the rampant number of patients in the US who have high blood pressure. The National Institute of Health studied three dietary plans and their outcomes. Those who followed the DASH diet were able to lower both their systolic and diastolic pressures. These changes occurred with and without weight loss.
The DASH Diet is low sodium, high in vegetables and fruits, low fat dairy products and whole grains. It allows limited amounts of meat, poultry, fish, nuts and beans. Restricted are red meat, sugar sweetened drinks and foods and added fats. The National Institute of Health recommends this diet to reduce blood pressure.
In studies conducted by Johns Hopkins, researchers found the effect of the Dash Diet had a measurable impact on the subjects’ uric acid levels. In fact, these results were so significant that the outcomes were nearly the same as treatment with pharmaceuticals prescribed to treat gout. The study showed that the higher the uric acid levels the more of an impact the diet had on the uric acid levels.
And that’s not all, the DASH diet has also been found effective in lowering the incidence of kidney stones, high cholesterol and insulin resistance. The DASH diet has been shown to lower the incidence of certain cancers, heart disease, heart failure and stroke. It has been shown to slow the process of kidney disease and the onset of diabetes as well as enabling weight loss.
In January of 2016 US News and World Reports ranked the DASH diet as the healthiest and best diet for managing disease.
The DASH Diet is recommended by the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, Journal of the American Medical Association. It is also endorsed by the Mayo Clinic, The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
