Healthy eating patterns (Mediterranean, DASH, whole foods)

What it is

• The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating based on the traditional food of countries around the Mediterranean Sea.
• There is no single definition of the Mediterranean diet.
• It has fewer meats and carbohydrates than a typical American diet.
• DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, which is high blood pressure.
• The DASH diet is a healthy-eating plan designed to help prevent or treat high blood pressure.
• The DASH diet needs no special foods or drinks.

Sources: Mayo Clinic: Mediterranean diet for heart health - Mayo Clinic ↗ · MedlinePlus (NIH): Mediterranean diet: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia ↗ · Mayo Clinic: DASH diet: Healthy eating to lower your blood pressure - Mayo Clinic ↗

How it's thought to help

• Unsaturated fat from plants seems to lower total cholesterol.
• Studies suggest the Mediterranean diet may lower stress and inflammation in the body.
• The DASH diet is rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium.
• The DASH diet limits salt, added sugar and saturated fat.

Sources: Mayo Clinic: Mediterranean diet for heart health - Mayo Clinic ↗ · Mayo Clinic: DASH diet: Healthy eating to lower your blood pressure - Mayo Clinic ↗

What people use it for

People may use the Mediterranean diet as a heart-healthy eating plan. The DASH diet is used to help prevent or treat high blood pressure.

Sources: Mayo Clinic: Mediterranean diet for heart health - Mayo Clinic ↗ · Mayo Clinic: DASH diet: Healthy eating to lower your blood pressure - Mayo Clinic ↗

What the research has found so far

• A study from the 1960s found fewer heart disease deaths in some Mediterranean countries than in the U.S. and northern Europe.
• Several more studies have linked the Mediterranean diet with lower heart disease risk factors.
• People who follow it tend to be less likely to have high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
• Studies show replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat lowers the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart-related death.
• Research suggests the diet must be followed long term for the heart to benefit.
• The DASH diet may also help lower LDL cholesterol, the type linked to heart disease.

Sources: Mayo Clinic: Mediterranean diet for heart health - Mayo Clinic ↗ · Mayo Clinic: DASH diet: Healthy eating to lower your blood pressure - Mayo Clinic ↗

On healthy eating patterns and aging, PubMed lists 668 trials in people, 2,136 studies that watched people over time, 23 animal and lab studies. See the counts and searches

Side effects and risks

• It says people may have lower iron levels.
• It says people may lose calcium from eating fewer dairy products.
• On the DASH diet, food may taste different as salty, processed foods are cut back.

Sources: MedlinePlus (NIH): Mediterranean diet: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia ↗ · Mayo Clinic: DASH diet: Healthy eating to lower your blood pressure - Mayo Clinic ↗

Who should be careful

Even a moderate amount of alcohol can raise blood pressure in some people. Caffeine can cause blood pressure to rise at least briefly.

Source: Mayo Clinic: DASH diet: Healthy eating to lower your blood pressure - Mayo Clinic ↗

Approval and legal status

The World Health Organization recognizes the Mediterranean diet as a healthy-eating pattern.

Source: Mayo Clinic: Mediterranean diet for heart health - Mayo Clinic ↗

Questions to ask your doctor

• Is healthy eating patterns a good fit for me, given my health and the medicines I take?
• Is there anything I should avoid or watch for, given my health conditions?
• Where should I start, and how much is right for me?
• How would we tell whether it is helping, and when should we review it?