High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Left untreated, it can also lead to kidney disease and failure and many other complications. Lowering blood pressure requires a multidisciplinary approach that includes better diet, more exercise, quitting smoking, managing stress and sometimes taking medication. To help the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, developed a program called DASH or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension to provide guidelines to lower blood pressure. This is an important program to discuss with a health care provider as part of a total plan to bring blood pressure numbers down.
Identification
The DASH program was originally designed in 1998 and is revised as new information becomes available. It works on the premise that high blood pressure or hypertension can be prevented or reversed by following a specialized eating plan, states the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The goal is to lower blood pressure to 120 mmHg or less for the top, or systolic, number and 80 mmHg or lower for the diastolic, or bottom, number.
Features
The main component of the DASH plan is to reduce sodium intake. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, recommends limiting daily intake of salt to between 2,300 and 1,500 milligrams per day with the goal of staying as close to the 1,500 milligrams as possible or to even go lower. This is combined with eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits along with low or no fat dairy products and whole grains. Fats are eaten sparingly and saturated and trans fats are avoided as much as possible.
Benefits
The DASH diet is important because most Americans consume more salt than is recommended, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sodium causes the body to retain fluid. The more fluid in the body, the more fluid the heart has to pump. The more fluid the heart has to pump, the higher the blood pressure rises.
In addition, eating foods high in cholesterol and fat can lead to plaque buildup along the artery walls, which limits how much blood can get through the blood vessels. This can also raise blood pressure as the heart must pump faster and harder to get enough blood through a space that has narrowed.
However, lowering sodium, fat and cholesterol intake can help to prevent blood pressure from rising and can help to lower it once it is high.
Considerations
While part of following the DASH plan is to limit adding table salt to food, according to the American Heart Association, most salt consumption is from eating prepared or processed foods. Consumption adds up quickly as one teaspoon of salt is equal to 2,300 mg sodium, which the highest amount recommended.
Along with avoiding processed foods, sodium intake can be reduced by limiting cheeses, seafood, olives and some legumes, salted chips, lunch meat, hot dogs, pork, ham, pickles, butter flavorings, seasonings, tomato sauces, condiments, most canned goods, monosodium glutamate, baking soda and baking powder. It is important to read nutrition labels carefully to see how much salt is in each serving size.
Solution
Following the DASH diet program also means controlling weight and getting regular exercise. The goal is to maintain or reach a healthy weight and to get at least 30 to 40 minutes of exercise each day, because obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are other major risk factors for heart disease. Since general recommendations are based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, the Women's Heart Foundation suggests talking with a physician or registered dietitian, to determine personal limits and requirements.
References
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure with DASH
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Most Americans Should Consume Less Sodium
- American Heart Association: Shaking the Salt Habit
- Women's Heart Foundation, Inc.: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)
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