Wena

T he New England

Journal o f M edicine
© Co py r ight , 2 0 0 1 , by t he Ma s s ac h u s e t t s Me d ic a l S o c iet y

J A N U A R Y 4, 2001

V O L U ME 3 4 4

N UMBER 1

E FFECTS ON BLOOD PRESSURE OF REDUCED DIETARY SODIUM AND THE
DIETARY APPROACHES TO STOP HYPERTENSION(DASH) DIET
FRANK M. SACKS, M.D., LAURA P. SVETKEY, M.D., WILLIAM M. VOLLMER, PH.D., LAWRENCE J. APPEL, M.D.,
GEORGE A. BRAY, M.D., DAVID HARSHA,PH.D., EVA OBARZANEK, PH.D., PAUL R. CONLIN, M.D.,
EDGAR R. MILLER III, M.D., PH.D., DENISE G. SIMONS-MORTON, M.D., PH.D., NJERI KARANJA, PH.D.,AND PAO-HWA LIN, PH.D.,
FOR THE DASH–SODIUM COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH GROUP

ABSTRACT
Background The effect of dietary composition on
bloodpressure is a subject of public health importance. We studied the effect of different levels of dietary sodium, in conjunction with the DietaryApproaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which is
rich in vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy products,
in persons with and in those withouthypertension.
Methods A total of 412 participants were randomly
assigned to eat either a control diet typical of intake
in the United States orthe DASH diet. Within the assigned diet, participants ate foods with high, intermediate, and low levels of sodium for 30 consecutive days
each, inrandom order.
Results Reducing the sodium intake from the high
to the intermediate level reduced the systolic blood
pressure by 2.1 mm Hg (P