DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) « Back

Research shows that DASH, which includes two to three servings of dairy foods and eight to ten servings of fruits and vegetables every day, may help manage blood pressure. DASH’s benefits in managing blood pressure have been found in adults and children, which means this eating plan is one that the whole family can adopt. This is good news for health professionals seeking to give nutrition guidance to both parents and their kids, especially when you consider that nearly one in three Americans has high blood pressure or hypertension and that the prevalence of high blood pressure among children and adolescents is on the rise.

Given that dairy foods play a starring role in DASH, let’s shine the spotlight on their nutritional benefits. Most of us know that dairy foods like low-fat and fat-free milk, yogurt and many cheeses, are rich in calcium, a mineral that is essential for bone health, but did you know that dairy foods also are important contributors of magnesium and potassium in the U.S. diet? These two minerals, along with calcium, form a powerhouse trio that may play an important role in maintaining healthy blood pressure. When you consider uncontrolled high blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease, you can see that dairy foods - in addition to bone health - may provide benefits to heart health, too.

A number of health professional organizations, including the American Heart Association and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, support the DASH eating plan. Also in support of DASH are the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend three servings of low-fat or fat-free milk or milk products every day for people nine years and older, and two servings a day for children two to eight years-old.