From The September 2000 Issue of Nutrition Science News

Diet Lowers Blood Pressure

Boston — Frank Sacks, M.D., of the Harvard Medical School, located here, confirmed that a diet low in salt and high in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products can lower blood pressure as much as drugs do.

Sacks' Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study examined 412 people age 22 and older. Nearly 41 percent of the study group had hypertension, while the rest were in the "high-normal range" (>120/80). Each day subjects ate varying amounts of salt (1.5, 2.4 or 3.3 g) and either their normal diet or a DASH diet including five cups of fruits and vegetables and three cubs of low-fat dairy products.

Results showed blood pressure was reduced due to the DASH diet alone as well as sodium restriction alone, with the greatest reduction occuring when the two were combined. In fact, this group showed improvements comparable with those provided by hypertension drugs.