Scientists from the BIDMC Medical Center in Boston found that two months of healthy eating reduced the 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by 10%. The results are published in: American Journal of Cardiology.
The authors compared the medical data of three groups of people: DASH (the dietary approach to treating hypertension), the classic American diet, and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. The analysis included 459 adults aged 22 to 75.
The researchers found that the DASH diet and the fruit and vegetable diet reduced the 10-year risk of developing atherosclerotic diseases (stroke, hypertension, heart attack) by 10.3% and 9.9%, respectively. The positive effect was more pronounced in women and black adults.
All study participants who followed healthy diets had lower systolic blood pressure. However, participants who followed the DASH diet had lower blood pressure, although this positive effect was offset by lower “good cholesterol” levels in participants who followed the DASH diet, so overall the diets were equally beneficial.