DASH diet voted best for heart health. Know more about it

Digital Desk: Our diet has a significant impact on our heart health. However, due to social media, misinformation about food and nutrition has taken a controversial turn, with people conforming to fad diets. The DASH diet, according to the American Heart Association (AHA), is the greatest diet, especially for the heart.

According to a new study published in the journal Circulation, the Mediterranean, DASH-style, pescetarian, and vegetarian eating patterns significantly matched with heart-healthy eating guidelines, however the popular paleo and ketogenic diets rejected them.

"The number of different, popular dietary patterns has proliferated in recent years, and the amount of misinformation about them on social media has reached critical levels," said Christopher D. Gardner, the Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine at Stanford University in California, who chaired the statement writing committee.

The analysis assessed how well each of ten common diets or eating patterns matches with nine of the ten elements of the American Heart Association's dietary guidance for heart-healthy eating.

These 10 features include:

• Eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables 

• Choosing mostly whole grains instead of refined grains 

• Using liquid plant oils instead of tropical oils 

• Eating healthy sources of protein, such as plants, seafood, or lean meats 

• Limiting alcohol 

• Choosing minimally processed foods instead of ultra-processed foods 

• Following this guidance wherever food is prepared or consumed

The diets were graded on a scale of 1 to 100 based on how closely they followed the AHA's recommendations.Based on their results, which varied from 31 to 100, the diets were categorised into four tiers. Only one eating plan, the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), received a perfect score.

The DASH dietary pattern, according to the AHA, is low in salt, added sugar, tropical oil, alcohol, and processed foods and high in non-starchy vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. Proteins are mostly derived from plants, such as lentils, beans, and nuts, as well as fish or seafood, lean poultry and meats, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products.

The DASH diet includes foods high in potassium, calcium, and magnesium, all of which assist lower blood pressure. This diet also restricts sodium, saturated fat, and sugar consumption.

The Mediterranean eating pattern, widely recognized as the greatest diet in the world, received a slightly lower score (89) than DASH because, unlike DASH, it allows for moderate alcohol use and does not address additional salt. The vegetarian diet (86) and the pescetarian diet (92), which allows for seafood in addition to plant-based foods, were both in the top tier.

According to the report, efforts should be made to include historically marginalised groups in future studies and research to reduce the impact of structural racism on diet-related diseases, and policies should be implemented to dismantle unjust practises that limit access to healthy foods in some communities.