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Last Updated: Apr 16, 2008 - 5:52:06 PM |
TUESDAY April 15, 2008 (Foodconsumer.org) -- Adherence to the DASH-style diet may reduce risk of coronary heart disease and stroke in middle-aged women, according to a new study in the April 14, 2008 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Those who adhered to DASH diet well were at a 24 percent reduced risk of coronary heart disease and 18 percent decreased risk of stroke in middle-aged women compared to those whose adherence to the diet was the worse, the study found during a 24-year follow-up.
The study revealed only a statistical correlation, but not a cause-and-effect relationship between the adherence to the DASH diet and risk of CHD and stroke, meaning using DASH diet may not definitely reduce the risk although the possibility could not be excluded either, according to a foodconsumer.org scientist who was not part of the study team.
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or DASH diet has been known to lower blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure reading. The diet has also been linked to a reduction in low-density lipoprotein or the bad cholesterol. But little has been known about its long term effect on cardiovascular end points such as nonfatal myocardial infarction, CHD death, and stroke.
This study led by Teresa T. Fung, ScD, Department of Nutrition, Simmons College in Boston, MA and colleagues was meant to assess the association between a DASH diet adherence and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke in women.
The study involved 88,517 female nurses aged 34 to 59 without a history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes when they entered the study in 1980. The researchers assessed their diet seven times during 24 years of follow-up from 1980 through 2004.
Fung and colleagues calculated a DASH score to indicate adherence of a woman to the DASH diet, based on the dietary surveys on eight food and nutrient components including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes, low-fat dairy, red and processed meats, sweetened beverages and sodium.
During the follow-up, 2119 cases of incident nonfatal myocardial infarction, 976 CHD deaths and 3105 cases of stroke were identified.
Those who were in the quintile that best adhered to the DASH diet were found 24 percent less likely to have CHD and 18 percent less likely to have stroke, the study showed. The results were derived after other risk factors were adjusted.
The magnitude of risk difference influenced by the DASH diet was similar for nonfatal myocardial infarction and fatal CHD.
Analysis of blood samples from a subgroup of women showed the DASH score was significantly associated with lower plasma levels of c-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6. CRP indicates inflammation, which is now established as a pathway for atherosclerosis and CVD development. IL-6 acts as both a pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine.
Fung and colleagues concluded "In conclusion, a diet that resembles the DASH eating plan, with high intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, moderate intake of legumes, nuts, and low-fat dairy products, and low intake of red and processed meats and sodium, was significantly associated with lower risk of CHD and stroke in women."
For the study report, read
Adherence to a DASH-Style Diet and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke in Women
For more information on the DASH diet, read Healthy Eating.
© 2004-2008 by foodconsumer.org unless otherwise specified
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