DASH diet may cut risk of depression, metabolic syndrome

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is intended to lower risk of hypertension or high blood pressure.  One report by Kawada reveals this diet when closely followed may reduce risk of metabolic syndrome by 60% in children.

Led by Aurora Perez-Cornago and colleagues, a new study that followed 14,051 participants for eight years now suggests that good adherence to the DASH diet may reduce risk of depression by 24% to 37% depending upon the definition of depression.  

The association between the diet score and risk of depression is an inverse correlation.  But other analyses show the association was not linear.  More studies are needed to clarify the association. (David Liu)

Aurora Perez-Cornago  , Almudena Sanchez-Villegas  , Maira Bes-Rastrollo  , Alfredo Gea  , Patricio Molero , Francisca Lahortiga-Ramos   and Miguel Ángel Martinez-Gonzalez  , Relationship between adherence to Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet indices and incidence of depression during up to 8 years of follow-up, Public Health Nutrition,  Published online: 23 June 2016 DOI: 

Tomoyuki Kawada, MD, PhD, Dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet and metabolic syndrome, The Journal of Pediatrics, online 15 August 2016,