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Home > Studies > Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)

Accession Number
HLB00200310a

Study Type
Clinical Trial

Collection Type
Open BioLINCC Study See bottom of this webpage for request information

Study Period
1993 - 1997

NHLBI Division
DCVS

Date Prepared
December 3, 2010

Last Updated
N/A

Clinical Trial URLs
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/s...

Primary Publication URLs
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub...

Study Website
N/A

Consent

Commercial Use Data Restrictions No

Data Restrictions Based On Area Of Research No

Commercial Use Specimen Restrictions No

Non-Genetic Use Specimen Restrictions Based On Area Of Use Yes

Genetic Use Of Specimens Allowed? Yes

Genetic Use Area Of Research Restrictions Yes

Specific Consent Restrictions
Restrictions are related to genetic/non-genetic biospecimen use by research topic.

Objectives

The objective of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study was to test the effects of dietary patterns characterized by high intakes of certain minerals and fiber associated with low blood pressure compared with each other and with a control dietary pattern relatively low in potassium, magnesium, calcium, and fiber, and has a fat and protein profile mirroring current US consumption.

Background

High blood pressure affects almost 5 million people in the United States and places them at a high risk for cardiovascular disease. High blood pressure is characterized as a systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher or diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg, or higher, or the need for antihypertensive medication. The risk of cardiovascular disease increases progressively throughout the entire range of blood pressure levels, thus blood pressure affects the health of many, including those that are not defined as hypertensive. The DASH aims to help prevent this highly prevalent public health problem.

Subjects

The study consisted of 459 healthy free-living adult men and women, 22 years or older, who have a diastolic blood pressure of 80 to 95 mm Hg and a systolic blood pressure less than 160 mm Hg. Since there is a disproportionate burden of hypertensions and its complications in minority populations, and particularly among African Americans, two-thirds of DASH participants are from a minority background.

Design

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension multicenter, randomized, controlled-feeding trial examined the impact of dietary patterns on blood pressure in 459 adults with blood pressure <160 mm Hg systolic and 80 to 95 mm Hg diastolic. After a 3-week run-in period on a control diet low in fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, and with a fat content typical for Americans, participants were randomized for 8 weeks to either the control diet, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, or a combination diet that emphasized fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. Body weight and sodium intake were held constant, and physical activity did not change during the intervention.

Conclusions

This trial demonstrated that certain dietary patterns can favorably affect blood pressure in adults with average systolic blood pressures of less than 160 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressures of 80 to 95 mm Hg. Specifically, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products and with reduced saturated and total fat lowered systolic blood pressure by 5.5 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 3.0 mm Hg more than a control diet. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables also reduced blood pressure, but to a lesser extent. The gradient of blood-pressure reduction across diets indicates that some aspects of the fruits-and-vegetables diet reduced blood pressure and that additional aspects of the combination diet reduced it further. In conclusion, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods and with reduced saturated and total fat can substantially lower blood pressure. Such a diet offers an additional nutritional approach to the prevention and treatment of hypertension.

Publications

Bray, GA, for the DASH Collaborative Group, "The Effect of Dietary Patterns on Blood Pressure: Results From the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Clinical Trial." Current Concepts in Hypertension, November, 1998, 4-5.


Sacks FM, Obarzanek E, Windhauser M, Svetkey LP, Vollmer WM, McCullough M, Karanja N, P Lin, Steele P, Proschan M, Evans MA, Appel L, Bray GA, Vogt TM, Moore TJ, for the DASH Investigators. Rationale and Design of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Trial (DASH). A multicenter controlled-feeding study of dietary patterns. Ann Epidemiol. 1995; 5:108-117.

Additional Details

Study Population

Subjects:

459 subjects

  • Combination: 151
  • Control: 154
  • Fruits/Veggies: 154
Age:

 

Combination

Control

Fruits/Veggies

All

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

=< 25

6

3.97

5

3.25

8

5.19

19

4.14

26-30

6

3.97

15

9.74

9

5.84

30

6.54

31-35

18

11.92

16

10.39

10

6.49

44

9.59

36-40

25

16.56

23

14.94

17

11.04

65

14.16

41-45

28

18.54

23

14.94

34

22.08

85

18.52

46-50

25

16.56

30

19.48

34

22.08

89

19.39

51-55

23

15.23

14

9.09

17

11.04

54

11.76

56-60

12

7.95

12

7.79

13

8.44

37

8.06

61-65

6

3.97

11

7.14

10

6.49

27

5.88

> 65

2

1.32

5

3.25

2

1.30

9

1.96

 
Sex:
 

Combination

Control

Fruits/Veggies

All

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

F

77

50.99

73

47.40

75

48.70

225

49.02

M

74

49.01

81

52.60

79

51.30

234

50.98

 

 

Race:

 

Combination

Control

Fruits/Veggies

All

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

Non-Minority

47

31.13

54

35.06

55

35.71

156

33.99

Minority

104

68.87

100

64.94

99

64.29

303

66.01

 

Available Biospecimens

Please note that biospecimen availability is subject to review by the NHLBI, BioLINCC, and the NHLBI Biorepository. Certain biospecimens may not be made available for your request. Section 3 of the BioLINCC handbook describes the components of the review process

General Freeze/Thaw Status:

1/14/2014

Plasma: Never been thawed

Serum: A majority has undergone one freeze/thaw cycle for aliquoting

Urine: A majority has undergone one freeze/thaw cycle for aliquoting

Visits (Vials):

8/18/2016

  Serum Urine Plasma Total
Screening Visit 2 9 0 0 9
Screening Visit 3 0 1,032 0 1,032
First Run-In Visit 0 204 2 206
Third Run-In Visit 1,840 3,945 672 6,457
Intervention Visit Week 4 0 252 0 252
Intervention Visit Week 8 1,767 3,895 667 6,329
Unknown 1 0 0 1

 
Visits (Subjects):

8/18/2016

  Serum
Total number of subjects Average volume (ml) per subject
Screening Visit 2 9 3.06
Third Run-In Visit 339 3.22
Intervention Visit Week 8 330 3.58
Unknown 1 1.00
 
  Plasma
Total number of subjects Average volume (ml) per subject
First Run-In Visit 1 2.00
Third Run-In Visit 336 2.00
Intervention Visit Week 8 331 2.08
 
  Urine
Total number of subjects Average volume (ml) per subject
Screening Visit 3 337 27.56
First Run-In Visit 66 27.82
Third Run-In Visit 313 24.14
Intervention Visit Week 4 64 24.08
Intervention Visit Week 8 322 23.78

 

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Resources Available

Specimens and Study Datasets

Study Catalog

Study Publications (5)

Materials Available

  • Plasma
  • Serum
  • Urine
  • More Details

Study Documents

  • PDF Data Dictionary (PDF - 264.1 KB)
  • PDF Data Summary (PDF - 784.6 KB)
  • PDF Manual of Operations (PDF - 2.5 MB)
  • PDF Protocol (PDF - 301.7 KB)

Persons using assistive technology may not be able to fully access information in the study documents. For assistance, Contact BioLINCC and include the web address and/or publication title in your message. If you need help accessing information in different file formats such as PDF, XLS, DOC, see Instructions for Downloading Viewers and Players.

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