Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Eating Plan: Beyond the Hypertension

Background and Objectives: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating pattern, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy with a reduced content of sodium, saturated fat, and total fat is introduced as an appropriate diet for hypertension. This eating pattern was basically designed to normalize blood pressure in patients with hypertension, and a large body of data could confirm its beneficial effects on blood pressure level. Here, we are going to discuss about the other aspects of this diet. Materials and Methods: PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases were searched for relevant publications up to November 2014. No limitation was considered regarding the language or publication date. Results: Some studies have proposed more useful effects of this dietary approach, other than lowering blood pressure, such as reducing insulin resistance, and controlling the fasting blood sugar and lipid profiles, proposing it as a good dietary pattern to prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). There is some evidence in prospective cohorts regarding the effect of DASH-style diet on CVDs or their major subclasses like coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and heart failure (HF). A meta-analysis also showed the effects of this pattern on the indices of the glycemic control. Adherence to the DASH diet was inversely related to central obesity and metabolic syndrome features in observational studies in Iran. Furthermore, DASH is suitable for gestational diabetes mellitus, can have a role in the growth of the fetus, and may affect pregnancy outcomes. Conclusions: It is emphasized that DASH diet is suitable for whole life span. Evidence also confirms the beneficial effects of DASH on obese children. Consumption of DASH diet for 6 weeks could reduce the circulating levels of hs-CRP among adolescents with MetS. Based on the existing facts, we can conclude that DASH is a good dietary pattern for both controlling the metabolic risk factors and being healthy.