Daily Mirror

Low-salt diet ‘as effective as drugs’ for hypertensi­on

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A low-salt diet combined with the DASH diet (The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertensi­on) substantia­lly lowers systolic blood pressure – the top number in a blood pressure test – according to research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The DASH diet is rich in fruits, vegetables and wholegrain­s, along with low-fat or fat-free dairy, fish, poultry, beans, seeds and nuts.

During the study, researcher­s tested and followed 412 adults, including 234 women, between the ages of 23 and 76, and with a systolic blood pressure of 120-159 mm Hg and a diastolic blood pressure between 80-95 mm Hg (i.e. stage 1 hypertensi­on).

At the start, no participan­ts were on antihypert­ensive drugs. None had a prior diagnosis of heart disease, renal insufficie­ncy, poorly controlled cholestero­l levels or diabetes.

Investigat­ors put all participan­ts either on the DASH diet or a control diet for 12 weeks. No other treatment was given.

After four weeks, blood pressure of all participan­ts had dropped by an average of 11mm in people with blood pressure of 150 or higher and by 4mm in those with a blood pressure of 130 or less.

Stephen Juraschek, the study’s lead author, said: “Our results add to the evidence that dietary interventi­ons are as effective as – or more effective than – antihypert­ensive drugs in those at highest risk for high blood pressure, and should be a routine first-line treatment option for such individual­s.

“What we’re observing from the combined dietary interventi­on is a reduction in systolic blood pressure as high as, if not greater than, that achieved with prescripti­on drugs.”

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