DASH-Sodium also found that both sodium reduction and the DASH diet had a substantial effect on the blood pressure of African Americans.
"African Americans have more hypertension than other Americans," said Sacks. "The finding suggests that more than sodium may play a role in African Americans' blood pressure, and they would benefit from adopting an eating plan similar to that of a lower sodium DASH diet."
"The study shows how important it is to reduce sodium in the diet. The findings suggest that the current recommendation for how much dietary sodium Americans should consume may need to be lowered. By reducing their dietary sodium to 1,500 milligrams a day, all Americans, and especially those at high risk for hypertension, can decrease their chance of developing high blood pressure as they age," said Dr. Eva Obarzanek, an NHLBI nutritionist and Project Officer for DASH-Sodium.
"To make that change," she continued, "Americans should cut down on processed foodsthe biggest source of sodium in the dietuse food labels as a guide to choose items lower in salt and sodium, flavor foods with spices instead of salt, and remove the salt shaker from the table. The food industry also needs to help by reducing the amount of salt they put into food products. It would help to make more low-salt food products available.
"Reducing sodium benefits blood pressure whatever your eating plan," added Obarzanek. "But for a true winning combination, follow the DASH diet and lower your intake of sodium."
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Contact: NHLBI Communications Office
301-496-4236
NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
16-May-2000