Concordance between Dash Diet and Hypertension: Results from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study

Authors

Bridget Murphy Hussain, Public Health Program, Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT 06824, USA.
Andrea L. Deierlein, Public Health Nutrition, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY 10012, USA.
Alka M. Kanaya, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA.
Sameera A. Talegawkar, Departments of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences and Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
Joyce A. O'Connor, Public Health Nutrition, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY 10012, USA.
Meghana D. Gadgil, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA.
Yong Lin, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.
Niyati Parekh, Public Health Nutrition, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY 10012, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

8-17-2023

Journal

Nutrients

Volume

15

Issue

16

DOI

10.3390/nu15163611

Keywords

DASH diet; South Asian; hypertension

Abstract

High blood pressure is an important predictor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), particularly among South Asians, who are at higher risk for ASCVD when compared to other population groups. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern is established as the best proven nonpharmacological approach to preventing hypertension in adults. Using data from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) cohort, we calculated a DASH dietary score to examine the association between adherence to the DASH diet and its components, and prevalent and incident hypertension and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, after five years of follow-up. We found that the relative risk ratio (RRR) of incident hypertension was 67% lower among participants in the highest DASH diet score category (aRRR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.82; p = 0.02) compared with those in the lowest DASH diet score category in fully adjusted models. These findings are consistent with previous clinical trials and large prospective cohort studies, adding to evidence that supports the diet-disease relationship established between DASH diet and hypertension. This study is the first to examine DASH diet adherence and hypertension among South Asian adults in the U.S.

APA Citation

Hussain, Bridget Murphy; Deierlein, Andrea L.; Kanaya, Alka M.; Talegawkar, Sameera A.; O'Connor, Joyce A.; Gadgil, Meghana D.; Lin, Yong; and Parekh, Niyati, "Concordance between Dash Diet and Hypertension: Results from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study" (2023). GW Authored Works. Paper 3229.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/3229

Department

Exercise and Nutrition Sciences