Prevention:
A Diet That's Beneficial at Any Age
By: John O'Neil
New York Times, December 25, 2001
Switching to a healthy diet and eating less salt can
lower the blood pressure of healthy young people as well as those with
hypertension, according to a new report in The Annals of Internal
Medicine.
The study, led by Dr. William Vollmer of the Center
for Health Research in Portland, Ore., found that people could reduce
their blood pressure by cutting salt or by adopting the DASH diet (Dietary
Approaches to Stop Hypertension), which is high in fruits, vegetables and
low-fat dairy products, and low in red meats and sweets. Cutting salt and
following the DASH diet worked better than either method alone. The
largest reductions in blood pressure were found among three groups: people
older than 45, patients with hypertension and African-Americans.
The report was based on a trial in which 412 people
adhered strictly to the DASH diet for 90 days while changing their salt
intake every 30 days. Earlier analyses had shown benefits for older people
and those with high blood pressure but had left uncertain whether others
had been helped.
Dr. Vollmer wrote that patients often had difficulty
sticking to a low-salt diet (many processed foods and restaurant meals are
high in salt) or to the DASH diet. By showing that each helps lower blood
pressure, the study may help patients find a plan that is suitable, he
wrote.
The findings also hold significance for young people
with normal blood pressure, he said, because adopting these changes on a
long-term basis may help blunt the increase in blood pressure that occurs
with increasing age.
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