We Asked 4 Heart-Health Experts About the Best Way to Lower Blood Pressure — and They All Said the Same Thing

If you haven’t tried the DASH diet before, now’s the time.

• The DASH diet is one of the most effective eating patterns for lowering blood pressure.
• It’s flexible, evidence-based and can produce results within weeks.
• Pair the DASH diet with other lifestyle habits, such as exercise, quality sleep and stress management.

According to the latest statistics, around 50% of U.S. adults live with hypertension, aka high blood pressure, and many don’t even know they have it.12 Because this silent condition quietly raises the risk of heart disease, stroke and dementia, anything you can do to protect yourself today is a solid investment in your future health.2

Lifestyle strategies, like a heart-healthy eating pattern, exercise and stress management, can go a long way in preventing or managing this condition. Yet, sometimes it can be hard to know where to start. To point you in the right direction, we asked heart-health experts to share the most effective lifestyle measure to lower blood pressure, and they unanimously recommended the DASH diet.  

DASH Diet Basics

The DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a well-researched eating pattern  built on a broad foundation of nutritious whole foods, especially vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, low-fat dairy and lean proteins, like fish and chicken. At the same time, it limits sodium, saturated fat and sugary foods and drinks, all of which are linked to poorer heart health.3

“What makes DASH particularly effective is that it is not a fad diet,” explains cardiologist Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., M.S. “It was created through rigorous research sponsored by the NIH, [and] it improves the overall quality of the diet while specifically targeting the mechanisms that contribute to hypertension.”4

The DASH diet is so effective that both the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recommend it for hypertension management and prevention.2

Why They Recommend It

It Lowers Blood Pressure

The main reason why experts recommend the DASH diet is simple: It works.

Research shows following the DASH diet can lower systolic blood pressure (the top number) in people with hypertension by as much as 13 mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by 10 mm Hg.2 In fact, lowering systolic blood pressure by just 5 mm Hg reduces the risk of experiencing a cardiac event, like a heart attack, by about 10%.5

What makes it so powerful? “Mechanistically, the DASH diet is so effective because it layers many different physiological effects that contribute to a meaningful reduction in blood pressure,” says Shannon Herbert, Ph.D., RD, CDN. “By focusing on the dietary pattern as a whole, the DASH diet doesn’t rely on a single nutrient for its benefits.” 

Instead, its wide variety of whole foods delivers a powerful combination of nutrients and minerals that help regulate blood pressure, specifically potassium, magnesium and calcium. Potassium helps the body excrete sodium, magnesium supports blood vessel dilation and artery health, and calcium helps relax blood vessels.3

This eating pattern is also naturally high in fiber, which supports healthy blood pressure indirectly. Since we can’t digest fiber, it travels intact to the colon, where beneficial gut bacteria ferment it. As these microbes flourish, they produce beneficial compounds called short-chain fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory properties and help keep arteries relaxed and flexible, protecting against high blood pressure.6

Because the DASH diet is naturally rich in fiber yet low in added sugars, it may also guard against insulin resistance, which can silently raise blood pressure. “While blood sugar and blood pressure are often thought of as separate issues, they are closely connected,” shares Michelle Routhenstein, M.S., RD, CDCES, CDN. The reason, she explains, is that insulin resistance can cause the body to retain sodium, leading to elevated blood pressure.7

Results Are Quick

Another selling point of the DASH diet is that it works quickly. 

“The magnitude of benefit varies from person to person, but it is not unusual to see meaningful reductions within a few weeks of consistent adherence,” says Lopez-Jimenez.3

“It has been a standard part of my counseling for virtually every hypertensive patient I see and, honestly, for many pre-hypertensive patients as well,” says cardiologist Kunal Lal, M.D. “I recommend it because the evidence base is exceptionally strong. In my opinion, it is one of the most powerful nonpharmacologic tools we have, and it layers well with other lifestyle interventions like exercise, weight loss and stress management.”

It’s Flexible

Beyond nutrition, the DASH diet is also very flexible, making it easier to follow than many other eating plans. 

“It’s designed to meet people where they are, while helping them gradually increase key nutrients,” says Routhenstein. “The great thing about the DASH diet approach is that it can and should be personalized to fit individual food preferences, cultural traditions and lifestyle needs.” 

Cardiologists are on board, too. “The DASH approach is practical because it focuses on overall eating patterns rather than rigid restrictions or extreme dieting,” adds Lopez-Jimenez. Between the many fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean proteins, there are plenty of options to choose from.

While it does limit saturated fat and added sugars, it allows up to 2,300 milligrams sodium per day (though lowering sodium even further can produce greater benefits).23 In other words, it’s more about what you can eat than what you can’t. 

Other Tips to Lower Blood Pressure

The DASH diet is a powerful first step toward lower blood pressure, but why stop there? Lifestyle habits such as nutrition, physical activity, sleep and stress management all play a role. “To meaningfully and sustainably lower blood pressure, we need to address as many of those levers as we can simultaneously,” says Lal. 

For even better results, try these expert tips.

• Get Moving. “The DASH diet targets blood pressure primarily through nutrition, while exercise improves how the heart and blood vessels function and respond to stress,” says Lopez-Jimenez. “That combination is often far more effective than relying on only one intervention.” While any type of movement is heart-smart, aerobic exercise, like brisk walking, jogging, biking or swimming, is particularly helpful.28
• Take Time to Decompress. “Chronic stress and anxiety can increase blood pressure, due to your body being in a constant fight-or-flight state,” says Routhenstein. “This can also disrupt normal nocturnal dipping, the healthy overnight drop in blood pressure that supports cardiovascular recovery.”9 Fortunately, stress-management techniques, such as meditation, deep breathing and yoga, may help.2
• Go to Sleep Earlier. “Sleep hygiene is super important for blood pressure management,” says Herbert. Research has found that people who sleep fewer than six hours per night are 36% to 66% more likely to have hypertension than those who sleep seven to eight hours nightly.10 Irregular sleep schedules can also raise your odds of developing high blood pressure by around 17%. Researchers believe this may be due to disruptions in the body’s 24-hour internal clock, which affects the nervous system’s ability to regulate blood pressure.1011
• Work with a Health Care Professional. Yes, the DASH diet is effective and flexible, but having support can improve your chances of success. “The ones who tend to do best are those who work with a registered dietitian and set concrete, achievable goals rather than trying to overhaul everything overnight,” says Lal. If you could use guidance, ask your health care provider for a referral to a registered dietitian.

Our Expert Take

Heart-health experts agree that following the DASH diet is one of the most powerful lifestyle changes you can make to lower blood pressure. Backed by decades of research, it’s both flexible and effective, with benefits that often appear within just a few weeks. 

“The most successful approach is not perfection, but sustainability; building healthier habits that people can realistically maintain for years,” says Lopez-Jimenez. “The DASH approach is practical because it focuses on overall eating patterns rather than rigid restrictions or extreme

Source: www.eatingwell.com