February 25, 2009   

DASH Diet with red meat lowers blood pressure

Nowson and colleagues compared two diets—the vitality diet (VD), which is a DASH-type diet including lean red meat and a reference healthy diet (RHD), which is a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet—to determine the impact on blood pressure and acid load on older women.

The VD group consumed significantly more fruits, vegetables, red meat and less dairy products, breads, and fats and oils. The VD resulted in lower intakes of saturated and polyunsaturated fat, calcium and thiamine, and a higher intake of fiber, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and potassium compared to the RHD. Total protein, carbohydrate and fat levels were similar. In addition, the VD group consumed about half the amount of sodium, compared to the RHD group.

Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure was significantly lower in all subjects in both groups compared to baseline. Reduction in blood pressure was greater in the VD group. This was significantly different from the RHD group in subjects taking antihypertensive medication compared to those not on this medication.

The vitality diet—a low-sodium DASH diet including red meat on most days—was more effective than the reference healthy diet in reducing blood pressure in older women and this effect was attenuated in those on antihypertensive medication.

For your practice:

Including red meat in a low-sodium diet is both feasible and practical, providing additional nutrients of benefit such as bioavailable iron, vitamin B12 and selenium. Inclusion of meat in this type of diet was effective in reducing blood pressure in older women, particularly those taking antihypertensive medication.

Want to learn more?

Nowson CA, Wattanapenpaiboon N, Pachett A. Low-sodium Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension-type diet including lean red meat lowers blood pressure in postmenopausal women. Nutrition Research 2009; 29:8-18.