MONDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Few people with high blood
pressure follow recommended dietary guidelines that help control
the disease, a new study says.
In fact, people with hypertension actually appear to be eating
worse than before the government-approved guidelines were
introduced, according to the report published in the Feb. 11 issue
of the
Archives of Internal Medicine. The study said young people,
blacks and the obese fared the worst in their dietary habits.
A diet high in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products has
been shown to help significantly lower blood pressure, according to
background information in the article. This Dietary Approaches to
Stop Hypertension (DASH) method, first published in 1997,
complements other lifestyle changes, such as reducing sodium and
losing weight, and can also help lower cholesterol levels, previous
studies have shown.
The DASH diet is recommended by the Joint National Committee on
Prevention, Detection and Treatment of High Blood Pressure for all
patients with hypertension.
The study analyzed dietary, health and personal data of adults
collected in surveys done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention from 1988 to 1994 and from 1999 to 2004. Using the
DASH guidelines, researchers identified goals for eight target
nutrients and calculated scores ranging from zero to nine for
individuals with and without hypertension from the surveys; those
who scored a 4.5 or higher were considered to be following the
diet.
Dr. Philip B. Mellen, of the Hattiesburg Clinic in Hattiesburg,
Miss., and his colleagues found that among individuals surveyed
from 1999 to 2004, 28 percent had been diagnosed with hypertension.
These individuals had an average DASH score of 2.92 (compared with
3.12 among those without high blood pressure), and only 19.4
percent followed the diet. Compared with those surveyed in 1988 to
1994, 7.3 percent fewer individuals with hypertension followed the
DASH diet, reflecting fewer patients who consumed target levels of
total fat, fiber and magnesium.
The findings suggest that the diet of Americans with
hypertension has not been greatly influenced by the recommendations
emerging from the DASH trial and instead reflect secular trends in
the dietary patterns of the overall population, the authors wrote.
Moreover, the DASH score was lower in subgroups likely to receive
the greatest benefit from the DASH diet -- blacks and obese
individuals.
More information
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about
high blood pressure and how to control it.
