Compare Diets – One Lowers Blood Pressure – Other Extends Life - Calorie Restriction Diet Verses DASH Diet

March 23rd 2006

Diets

Two doctors in the original DASH diet group have recommended a modification in their original regimen to help reduce triglycerides and increase the good HDL cholesterol, by increasing fat and protein in the diet. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet developed in the 1990s was designed to lower blood pressure, and at that time was the only diet proven to this.

The original DASH Diet was rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. The diet also required reduced intakes of saturated fat, total fat and cholesterol. The diet proved to lower the bad LDL cholesterol but also lowered the good HDL cholesterol. The diet had no effect on triglycerides levels. This prompted the two researchers to look further and improve the original plan.

The original DASH diet recommended 4 to 5 servings of both fruits and vegetables, 7 to 8 servings of grain products, some nuts and low-fat or non-fat dairy products, and even some snacks and sweets. One goal was to reduce sodium intake, so crackers without salt was recommended, among other salt reductions.

The researchers compared three diets designed to reduce cardiovascular risk. The best diet emphasized protein and unsaturated fat as opposed to the original DASH diet which emphasized carbohydrates. This is beginning to resemble the South Beach Diet, but with more fruits and vegetables.

The diet still emphasizes low sodium and salt. This seems reasonable, but just last month a study was published that showed people who said they limited their salt intake were 37% more likely to die from coronary heart disease or stroke when compared with those who ate more than the US recommended daily allowance of 2,300 milligrams a day.

So what to do? Most experts agree that lowering consumption of processed or refined carbohydrates is a good idea. The high fruit and vegetable consumption can act as a natural diuretic, and is the likely reason for the success of the DASH Diet.

The only diet with proven studies to extend life-spans is the low calorie diet. Research last year showed that low calorie diets helped prevent mammals from getting cancer and other age related diseases. According to the Calorie Restriction Society, the calorie restriction (CR) has been proven to extend life-spans of “every species tested, including worms, spiders, rodents, dogs, cows and monkeys. We firmly believe that people who carefully adopt a CR diet will see similar results.”

Oh, and don’t forget to drink red wine in moderation. According to a Harvard Study, there is a molecule in red wine that may extend life spans as well.