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DASH diet lowers risk of stroke and heart disease

The DASH diet which is known to reduce high blood pressure, has also been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, according to a new report.

The DASH diet

The DASH diet is recommended as a healthy eating program for weight, blood pressure and 'bad' cholesterol reduction. The diet includes foods which are:

• low in animal proteins
• moderate in low-fat dairy products
• high in plant proteins, fruits and vegetables.

The diet study

Researchers from Simmons College, Boston studied 88,517 female nurses aged 34 to 59 years from 1980 through to 2004. Over the 24 year period the nurses had to report what types of foods they ate most of.

Those who ate diets the same or similar to the DASH diet had a significantly lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

The women who had DASH or similar diets were 24% less likely to develop coronary heart disease and 18% less likely to suffer a stroke.

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