Blood pressure patients tempt fate by ignoring safe diet

Many patients with high blood pressure are ignoring dietary recommendations for controlling the condition and instead are dangerously following diets that run counter to government guidelines for controlling hypertension, according to a report in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
 
In fact, since the introduction of a diet shown to help reduce blood pressure, the dietary quality of those with hypertension has actually decreased, the report said.
 
Results of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trial, published in 1997, indicated that a diet high in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products could significantly lower blood pressure.
 
Subsequent studies found that this eating pattern complements other lifestyle changes, such as reducing sodium and losing weight, and can help lower cholesterol levels and prevent components of the metabolic syndrome.
 
The DASH diet is recommended by the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection and Treatment of High Blood Pressure for all patients with hypertension.
 
Using the DASH guidelines, researchers in Mississippi, US identified goals for eight target nutrients: total fat, saturated fat, protein, fibre, cholesterol, calcium, magnesium and potassium. DASH scores ranging from zero to nine were calculated for individuals with and without hypertension from the surveys; those who scored a 4.5 or higher were considered to be following the diet.
 
Their findings suggest “that the diet of Americans with hypertension has not been greatly influenced by the results and recommendations emerging from the DASH trial and instead reflects secular trends in the dietary patterns of the overall population,” the authors write.