Effect of a low sodium DASH diet, including red meat on blood pressure in post-menopausal women

Background – The DASH type dietary pattern which consists of high fruit, vegetable and dairy products and low saturated fat, is “base-producing” but restricts red meat with no clear justification.
Objective – To compare the BP-lowering effect of Vitality diet (VD), a moderately low sodium, “base” producing modified DASH diet, containing 6 serves/week of lean red meat to a “ high carbohydrate, low fat diet (HCLF diet), with a higher dietary acid load in post-menopausal women.
Design – Ninety-five hypertensive post-menopausal women (46 VD and 49 HCLF) completed a 14-wk randomised parallel study. Home BP was measured daily. Repeat 24-h dietary records and 24-h urine samples were collected fortnightly. Dietary acid load, expressed as potential renal acid load (PRAL), was calculated from nutrient intakes.
Outcomes – During the intervention, the VD group had an average daily consumption of 85 g cooked red meat. They had a mean (± SEM) reduction of 38 ± 7 mmol/d in urinary sodium excretion (P <0.0001), and a 7 ± 4 mmol/d increase in urinary potassium (P = 0.0681), with an estimated 23.1± 2.3 mEq/d lower PRAL than the HCLF group (P <0.0001). The fall in systolic pressure in the VD group tended to be greater by 3 ± 2 mmHg (P = 0.08) than the fall in systolic pressure seen with the HCLF diet. A greater BP-lowering effect of VD was observed among those taking anti-hypertensive medication (n = 17) with a greater 5.5 ± 2.7 mm Hg (P = 0.0518) reduction of systolic BP and greater reduction in diastolic BP by 3.6 ± 1.7 mm Hg (P = 0.0388) compared to the HCLF diet. However, no relationship between BP and PRAL was observed.
Conclusions – A low sodium DASH type dietary pattern with the inclusion of lean red meat was effective in reducing BP in post-menopausal women, particularly in those taking anti-hypertensive medication. This dietary pattern could be recommended for this group who are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
This study was funded by Meat & Livestock Australia.