These observational studies show that a healthy diet is linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular events, leading many to advocate for stronger public policy to promote healthy food choices.
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables administered over a relatively short period of time was associated with significantly lower levels of markers of subclinical heart damage and tension in adults without pre-existing cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to an observational analysis of the DASH trial published by the Annals of Internal Medicine magazine.
Healthy diet-heart
Researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center studied data and stored serum samples for 326 participants in the original DASH trial to compare the effects of diets rich in fruits and vegetables with a typical American diet on their effects on heart damage, heart pressure and inflammation in middle-aged adults without known preexisting CVD.
They found that after 8 weeks, participants in both fruits and vegetables and the DASH diet groups had significantly lower concentrations of biomarkers for subclinical heart damage and stress compared to the control group.
These associations did not differ between DASH and the fruit and vegetable diets, and none of the diets affected hs-CRP, a marker of inflammation.
The authors hypothesize that dietary factors common to DASH and fruit and vegetable diets, such as higher amounts of potassium, magnesium, and fiber, may partially explain the observed effects. These findings strengthen recommendations for the DASH diet or increased consumption of fruits and vegetables as a means of optimizing cardiovascular health.
