Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have highlighted the swift impact of dietary interventions on reducing heart disease risk factors.
Their study focused on the effects of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet and reducing sodium intake.
The study involved 412 adults with systolic blood pressure (BP) ranging from 120 to 159 mm Hg and diastolic BP between 80 to 95 mm Hg. These participants were randomly assigned to either follow the DASH diet or a control diet.
They consumed three different levels of sodium (low at 50 mmol/day, medium at 100 mmol/day, and high at 150 mmol/day) over four-week periods.
The results were quite significant. The DASH diet alone decreased heart attack risk factors by 18% and 13%. Even more strikingly, reducing sodium intake from high to low levels, regardless of the diet, reduced the risk of heart failure by 19%.
The combination of the DASH diet and low sodium intake was particularly effective. Compared to a high sodium control diet, this combination lowered the risk of heart attack by 20% and heart failure risk by 23%.
The researchers utilized highly sensitive markers of heart disease to demonstrate how these two dietary approaches could improve heart health in a relatively short time frame.
This indicates that not only do these diets reduce heart disease risk factors, but they might also lessen actual cardiac damage.
This study, therefore, has significant clinical implications. The findings could play a crucial role in promoting the DASH dietary pattern and reducing sodium intake, not just in the United States but globally.
Such dietary changes could be an accessible and effective strategy for many people to improve their heart health.
The research, led by Stephen P. Juraschek and team, is published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. For anyone interested in heart health, these findings are a reminder of the powerful impact diet can have on reducing the risk of heart diseases.
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