Lose weight and lower your blood pressure fast with this science-backed diet
The DASH diet, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is helping many more people than just those with high blood pressure. This eating plan is fast becoming a go-to for those looking for an overall health kick, with welcome additional benefits – such as losing a few inches around the waist.
So, what is it and how does it work? And more pressingly, how easy is it to stick to at home?
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Superintendent pharmacist, Abbas Kanani MRPharmS at Chemist Click says, ‘The DASH diet is a specific eating plan created to lower and manage high blood pressure. It is designed to increase the consumption of foods rich in nutrients like calcium, potassium, and magnesium which are all proven to lower blood pressure, whilst reducing intake of salt, saturated and trans fats. It can also help people maintain a healthy weight which reduces the risk of high blood pressure developing.’
We asked Dr Deborah Lee at Dr Fox Online Pharmacy for a bit more background: ‘Nutritionists have long believed that you can lower blood pressure by eating the right kind of foods. In 1990, researchers in the United States developed the DASH diet, a specific diet that could lower blood pressure.
‘The DASH diet incorporates mineral-rich foods (…) essential for lowering blood pressure. Following the diet also means limiting sodium intake (salt) because a high salt intake is a common, often unrecognised, cause of hypertension. The DASH diet also involves eating lean protein, along with healthy, unsaturated fats, and wholegrains. Low-fat dairy products are also recommended, as calcium is essential for blood pressure control. However, some foods must be avoided or kept to a minimum, such as sugary foods and alcohol. Those on the DASH diet will also avoid processed and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) as much as possible.’
Kanani adds, ‘The DASH diet can be beneficial to someone who has high blood pressure because it limits the intake of sugar, sodium, and fats which can cause a spike in blood sugar levels. The low-fat diet is also full of whole-grain foods, fish, lean poultry, fruits and vegetables which helps to lower blood pressure, calorie intake and reduce the risk of developing serious health issues such as coronary heart disease, stroke and kidney failure.’
What’s more is that the DASH diet can be followed long term. ‘It supports healthy weight loss whilst lowering the risk of stroke and heart failure,’ says Kanani. ‘It can also be beneficial to patients with osteoporosis, some cancers, and lower risk of kidney stones.’
Sounds sensible! And doable.
Key components
Let’s look at the main points to follow for a DASH diet. Dr Lee breaks it down for us:
A high potassium content
Fluid balance is maintained in the body via complex mechanisms largely found in the kidney. Potassium is needed to offset the effects of a high sodium level.
Many people do not consume enough potassium, especially if they have a diet rich in processed and ultra processed foods. Not ingesting enough potassium can raise blood pressure. Increasing the amount of potassium in the diet helps lower blood pressure.
Foods high in potassium: bananas, sweet potatoes, spinach, beans, lentils, yogurt, fish, and nuts.
A high magnesium content
Magnesium is important for smooth muscle relaxation. Smooth muscle cells are found in artery walls. When these cells relax, this causes vasodilation and lowers blood pressure.
However, many people do not consume enough magnesium in their diet. Many have a magnesium intake far below the recommended intake. Some have even stated this should be regarded as a public health emergency because magnesium has so many important roles in the body. Increasing the amount of magnesium in the diet can help lower blood pressure.
Foods high in magnesium: Whole wheat, spinach, quinoa, almonds, cashews, peanuts, dark chocolate, black beans, edamame, avocado.
A low sodium content
Many studies have shown that lowering the salt intake from the diet lowers blood pressure. According to the BHF, reducing your salt intake by one teaspoon a day can lower systolic blood pressure 6 mm Hg, and these effects can be seen in as little as 7 days.
Salt is often hidden in food – such as bread, sauces, stock cubes, and ready meals. Processed and UPFs are often high in salt. The DASH diet restricts salt intake to 2,300 mg a day, or additional benefits can be seen by further limiting salt to 1500 mg a day.
Foods low in sodium: fresh or plain frozen/canned fruits and vegetables, fresh lean meats and fish, unsalted nuts and seeds, and plain grains like rice and oats.
Lean protein
Some proteins have a blood pressure-lowering effect. Vegetarians who consume more plant proteins tend to have lower blood pressure than meat eaters. Populations that consume large amounts of red meat tend to have higher blood pressure.
Soy-based proteins with a high isoflavone content – these act as plant oestrogens – appear to have specific mechanisms for lowering blood pressure.
Lean proteins: skinless chicken and turkey breast, fish and seafood, lean beef and pork, eggs, low-fat dairy products (such as cottage cheese and Greek yogurt), plant-based foods like beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, and quinoa, and other sources like nuts and seeds.
Healthy, unsaturated fats
Research has shown that eating a diet rich in unsaturated (plant-based) fats can lower systolic blood pressure by up to 6.9 mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure by up to 3.8 mm Hg.
Oily fish contain specific polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which have been shown to lower blood pressure. Saturated (animal) fats increase inflammation and oxidative stress and raise blood pressure, whereas unsaturated fats have the reverse effect.
Unsaturated fats: plant-based oils like olive and canola, avocados, nuts, seeds, olives, and fatty fish such as salmon and tuna.
Whole grains
Brown rice, bread, and pasta contain a more substantial complement of vitamins, minerals, and fibre than the white refined alternatives. Moreover, they help you feel full for longer and are helpful for weight loss.
Some studies have shown that the lower the intake of whole grains, the higher the risk of hypertension. Regularly eating whole grains may reduce the risk of developing hypertension.
Low-fat dairy
Consuming low-fat dairy products has been shown to reduce the risk of hypertension. The exact reasons are unclear. Dairy products contain calcium, which has a blood pressure lowering effect, but there is a similar amount of calcium in skimmed and full fat milk. It may be that other nutrients in low-fat dairy products play a part, or that full-fat dairy somehow neutralises the benefits of dairy intake.
Milk proteins such as casein contain angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory peptides which are known to lower blood pressure.
Only small amounts of high sugar foods
Consuming large amounts of high sugar foods is linked to obesity, high blood pressure, and type-2 diabetes.
High blood glucose levels lead to reduced insulin sensitivity, meaning the body’s cells do not react as they should to the release of insulin. This leads to inflammation, oxidative stress and high blood pressure.
Reducing sugar intake has been shown to lower blood pressure.
Minimal alcohol
Alcohol is well known to raise blood pressure. It stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, causing the heart to beat faster and blood pressure to rise. It also stimulates the production of renin, which causes the kidneys to retain water.
Alcohol can damage the endothelium – the cells lining the blood vessel walls – meaning they cannot produce enough nitric oxide, meaning they are unable to relax. Alcohol provides empty calories – it contributes to obesity.
Reducing the amount of processed and ultra-processed foods
Research has shown that a high consumption of UPFs significantly increases the risk of high blood pressure. UPFs tend to be foods that are high in fat, high sugar, and high salt, and all of these can cause high blood pressure. The DASH diet means avoiding UPFs as much as possible.
Must DASH
Want to try it? The DASH diet is recommended by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the American Heart Association (AHA) as a means of lowering blood pressure in anyone with hypertension. ‘It makes sense to try to treat hypertension by making dietary changes,’ says Dr Lee. ‘Even small reductions in blood pressure can have significant benefits in terms of lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.
‘For some people, following the DASH diet may mean they can lower the dose of medication or stop taking medication altogether. Plus, there are other benefits of the DASH diet, which can improve cholesterol and result in weight loss.
‘Most authorities are in favour of the DASH diet, but rather than recommend specific diets, which can cause anxiety and be expensive, they tend to promote the key health messages from the diet and encourage people to eat healthy alternatives, as well as to avoid the higher-risk options such as UPFs.’
Dr Lee provides a sample of the plan below and points to The Mayo Clinic as a helpful place for DASH diet plan recommended recipes.
When you follow the DASH plan, you will be eating the following:
- Around 2,100 calories per day
- Total fat – 26% of your calorie intake, of which only 6% is saturated fat
- Protein – 18% of your calorie intake
- Carbohydrate – 55% of your daily calorie intake
- Cholesterol intake – 150 mg per day
- Sodium – this must be under 2,300 mg per day, although research has shown additional benefits if this is lowered to 1500 mg a day or less
- Potassium – 4,700 mg per day
- Magnesium – 500 mg per day
- Calcium – 1,250 mg per day
- Fibre – 30g per day
The daily DASH plan is set out below:
- Whole grains
6-8 servings. 1 slice 100% whole grain bread, 1 cup whole grain cereal, ½ cup cooked rice, quinoa or whole grain pasta (one serving each)
- Vegetables
4-5 servings. 1 cup raw leafy vegetables, ½ cup cooked vegetables, ½ cup vegetable juice (one serving each)
- Fruits
4-5 servings. 1 medium whole fruit, ½ cup fresh or frozen fruit, ¼ cup dried, unsweetened fruit (one serving each)
- Fat-free or low-fat dairy products
2-3 servings. 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of yoghurt, 1 and ½ ounces of cheese (one serving each)
- Lean meat, fish or poultry
6 or less servings. 1 ounce of lean cooked meat, poultry or fish or 1 egg (one serving each)
- Nuts, seeds and legumes
4-5 servings per week. 1/3 cup or 1 and ½ ounces of nuts, 2/3 tablespoon or 1/3 ounce of seeds, ½ cup cooked legumes (dried bean or peas) (one serving each)
- Fats and oils (plant fats such as olive, sunflower, avocado or rapeseed oil). Use olive oil spreads or nut butters
2-3 servings. 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise – preferably low fat, 2 tablespoons of salad dressing, 1 teaspoon of olive oil or vegetable oil (one serving each)
- Sugary foods
5 or less per week (sweeteners are permitted). 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of jam or jelly, ½ cup of sorbet
The results
Multiple studies have shown the DASH diet delivers positive results. ‘A 2019 review and meta-analysis, which included a large number of reviews and meta-analyses of both cohort studies and controlled trials, concluded that following the DASH diet lowered systolic blood pressure (the top reading) by 5.2 mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure by 2.6 mm Hg (the lower reading),’ says Dr Lee.
‘The authors also discovered a 20% reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke) in those who had adhered to the DASH diet. There was also an 18% reduction in those diagnosed with diabetes. Some of the studies followed patients up for 24 years.’
DASH has also shown many other benefits, including improved bone mineral density, reduced uric acid level (‘This may help those with gout,’ says Dr Lee) and improved symptoms in those with diverticular disease, coeliac disease, and chronic liver disease.
‘There’s evidence that the DASH diet may reduce the risk of bowel cancer in the white population,’ says Dr Lee, ‘and it may also result in weight loss.’
Perhaps this achievable eating plan holds the key to a healthier lifestyle all round, while being less complicated to follow than many modern diets. So with a dash of common sense and the guide above, you could start to see some real results in no time.
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