Diet prescribed for high blood pressure proves a powerful foe for heart failure

Thursday May 14, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- It could be correctly asserted that high blood pressure is the bane of the civilized world. Only in developing countries does the risk of high blood pressure go up as a person ages; it is estimated that 90% of adults over the age of 55 are at risk of developing high blood pressure, according to the New York Times.

The DASH diet, recommended by health professionals, has long been touted as an effective combatant against hypertension; the good news is that it also is an effective, dietary strategy to ward off heart failure.

In 1997, Dr. Emily B. Levitan of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston began a study of Swedish women who were part of the Swedish Mammography Cohort. Over 36,000 women, aged 48-86, were surveyed regarding their dietary habits. The questionnaires were designed to ascertain just how closely the women followed the DASH diet.

The health history of the women was monitored over the ensuing years; the encouraging news is that those who followed diets that most closely resembled the DASH program were 37% less likely to suffer from heart failure.

The diet, which is high in potassium and magnesium, is loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and fiber while remaining fairly low in fat. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute maintains that the diet is so effective because it lowers LDL cholesterol and homocysteine, two risk factors for both high blood pressure and heart failure.

Previous studies have already proven and established DASH as effective in controlling hypertension. According to a column authored by Jane Brody, one such study consisted of 1298 people from Massachusetts, aged 55-65, who volunteered to participate in a study back in 1976.

The follow-up analysis, which ran for 22 years, showed that many of those who maintained a DASH diet no longer needed medication for high blood pressure.

(By Rachel Stockton, and edited by Heather Kelley)