The American Heart Association recently evaluated the heart healthiness of popular diets, and the DASH Diet, developed in part at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, came out on top.
The diet received a perfect score as the most heart-healthy eating plan.
Pennington Biomedical has a long history with the DASH Diet, with pioneering researchers from the center playing a significant role in its development.
The research group behind the diet also included experts from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Duke Hypertension Center and the Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center, and Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.
A Diet for Everyone
The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet has been proven to help those with heart disease or diabetes.
However, it is a diet plan that everyone can follow because it is easy to adhere to and suitable for all family members, said Dr. Catherine Champagne, a professor and registered dietitian nutritionist at Pennington Biomedical.
A Comprehensive Review
The American Heart Association’s Dietary Guidance emphasizes the importance of limiting unhealthy fats and reducing excess carbohydrate intake.
Achieving this balance helps improve cardiovascular and general metabolic health, and reduces the risk of conditions like Type 2 diabetes and obesity.
In the recent review, the DASH-style eating pattern received a perfect score for adhering to all aspects of this guidance. The diet is low in salt, added sugar, alcohol, tropical oils, and processed foods.
It is also high in non-starchy vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. Proteins mainly come from plant sources, fish or seafood, lean poultry and meats, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
Dispelling Diet Misinformation
The variety of popular diets and the amount of misinformation about them on social media has grown in recent years, causing confusion among the public and even healthcare professionals, said Christopher D. Gardner, the chair of the writing committee for the new scientific statement and a professor of medicine at Stanford University.
The team hopes that this statement will help people understand which diets promote good heart and metabolic health.
About Pennington Biomedical Research Center
The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is a leader in medical research related to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dementia.
The center is part of a network of 40 clinics and research laboratories, and 13 highly specialized core service facilities, employing over 480 staff. Pennington Biomedical is affiliated with LSU and is based in Baton Rouge.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and scientists find how COVID-19 damages the heart.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about Aspirin linked to higher risk of heart failure, and results showing this drug could reduce heart disease, fatty liver, obesity.
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