I mentioned in a recent story on dietary patterns that promote good health, such as the Mediterranean and Asian styles of eating, that the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, diet has been shown to lower blood pressure and improve blood cholesterol. Today, we point you to news that this kind of diet is also associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke among middle-aged women.
As I said in the dietary patterns story, the main difference between the DASH diet (heavy on the fruits, veggies, and plant proteins; light on animal protein) and the Mediterranean diet is that the Mediterranean diet is higher in fat, mostly "good" fats like olive oil and nuts. The authors of this latest study recommend further study of both diets to see which better predicts the risk of heart problems. For now, it's hard to argue that following the basic principles of either one will do anything but good.
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