Beneficial Effects of a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Eating Plan on Features of the Metabolic Syndrome

(DASH) eating plan on metabolic risks in patients with the metabolic syndrome. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS — This was a randomized controlled outpa-tient trial conducted on 116 patients with the metabolic syndrome. Three diets were prescribed for 6 months: a control diet, a weight-reducing diet emphasizing healthy food choices, and the DASH diet with reduced calories and increased consumption of fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and whole grains and lower in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol and restricted to 2,400 mg Na. The main outcome measures were the components of the metabolic syndrome. RESULTS — Relative to the control diet, the DASH diet resulted in higher HDL cholesterol (7 and 10 mg/dl), lower triglycerides (18 and 14 mg/dl), systolic blood pressure (SBP) (12 and 11 mmHg), diastolic blood pressure (6 and 7 mmHg), weight (16 and 14 kg), fasting blood glucose (FBG) (15 and8 mg/dl), and weight (16 and15 kg), among men and women, respectively (all P 0.001). The net reduction in triglycerides (17 and 18 mg/dl), SBP (11 and11 mmHg), diastolic blood pressure (5 and6 mmHg), and FBG (4 and6 mg/dl), weight (16 and15 kg), and increase in HDL (5 and 10 mg/dl) among men and women, respectively, was higher in the DASH group (all P 0.05). The weight-reducing