Impact of the Level of Adherence to the DASH Diet on Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Xenophon Theodoridis,
Areti Triantafyllou,
Lydia Chrysoula,
Fotios Mermigkas,
Violeta Chroni,
Konstantina Dipla,
Eugenia Gkaliagkousi,
Michail Chourdakis
Affiliations
Xenophon Theodoridis
Laboratory of Hygiene, Social and Preventive Medicine and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Areti Triantafyllou
3rd Clinic of Internal Medicine, Papageorgiou Hospital, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece
Lydia Chrysoula
Laboratory of Hygiene, Social and Preventive Medicine and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Fotios Mermigkas
Laboratory of Hygiene, Social and Preventive Medicine and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Violeta Chroni
Laboratory of Hygiene, Social and Preventive Medicine and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Konstantina Dipla
Exercise Physiology & Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Sport Sciences at Serres, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 62110 Thessaloniki, Greece
Eugenia Gkaliagkousi
3rd Clinic of Internal Medicine, Papageorgiou Hospital, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece
Michail Chourdakis
Laboratory of Hygiene, Social and Preventive Medicine and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Introduction: the objective of our study was to systematically review the current literature and perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of the level of adherence to the DASH diet on blood pressure. Methods: The identification of relevant studies, data extraction and critical appraisal of the included studies were performed independently by two reviewers. A random-effects model was employed to synthesize the available evidence using the standardized mean difference (SMD) as the appropriate effect size. Results: A total of 37 and 29 articles were included in the qualitative and quantitative analysis, respectively. The pooled effect for systolic blood pressure was SMD = −0.18 (95%CI: −0.32 to −0.04; I2 = 94%; PI: −0.93 to 0.57) and for diastolic blood pressure it was SMD = −0.13 (95%CI: −0.19 to −0.06; I2 = 94%; PI: −0.42 to 0.17). Conclusions: Our findings showed that greater adherence to the DASH diet has a beneficial effect on blood pressure compared to the lowest adherence. Increased compliance with DASH diet recommendations might also have a positive effect on cardiometabolic factors and overall health status. Future studies should aim to standardize the tools of adherence to the DASH diet and utilize rigorous study designs to establish a clearer understanding of the potential benefits of the level of adherence to the DASH diet in blood pressure management.
