DIET

DASH Diet May Reduce Risk For Heart Attack.
HealthDay (8/31, Reinberg) reported that people with "mildly elevated blood pressure" reduced their risk of a heart attack by 18 percent overall in an eight-week test of the DASH diet, which increases fruit and vegetable servings and decreases "fats, red meat, sweets and sugary beverages." For the study, published online Aug. 31 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, researchers followed "436 people with high blood pressure or borderline hypertension who were not taking blood pressure medication." Participants either followed the DASH diet, "a typical American diet...or an American diet plus more fruits and vegetables." DASH dieters achieved the most effect, with black study participants reducing their risk of heart attack by 22 percent, compared to those on the "typical diet."