Can the DASH Diet and Salt Reduction Help Your Heart?
In a recent article published in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, researchers used data collected in the United States to investigate how reducing sodium in the diet, either in isolation or while following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, affects the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) over 10 years.
Their findings indicate that adherence to DASH dietary patterns and reducing dietary sodium independently reduced the risk of ASCVD, with the greatest benefits observed when the two interventions were combined.
Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading global cause of mortality, but over half of the cases are linked to modifiable lifestyle factors such as physical activity and diet. Across the U.S., unhealthy dietary habits, particularly excessive sodium intake, which more than 90% of American adults exceed, are major contributors to poor cardiovascular health.
Excerpted from News Medical Life Sciences
