Dietary approach to stop hypertension diet and cardiovascular risk factors among 10-to 18-year-old individuals

BackgroundCurrent evidence available on the association between Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and cardiovascular risk in adolescents is controversial. ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to assess the association between DASH diet and cardiovascular risk factors after 3years of follow-up among Tehranian adolescents. MethodsA population-based cohort study was conducted on 628 subjects, aged 10-18years, selected from among participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. The DASH score was determined on the basis of eight components using a valid and reliable food-frequency questionnaire at baseline. Anthropometric and lipid profile data were measured at baseline and after a 3-year follow-up. ResultsMean (SD) age of the study population (46.6% men) was 14.1 (2.5)years. After adjustment for potential confounding variables, including sex, age, physical activity and total calorie intake, the risk of general obesity (OR=0.26, 95%CI: 0.15-0.76) and central obesity (OR=0.32, 95%CI: 0.14-0.84) in the highest quintile of DASH score were significantly lower than in subjects in the lowest quintile. However, DASH score was not associated with risk of incident dyslipidaemia in our study (OR=0.81, 95%CI: 0.30-1.82). The higher DASH score was inversely associated with 3-year changes in body mass index and waist circumference during the study period (P for trend <0.05). However, there was no significant association between the higher score of this diet with 3-year changes in lipid profiles. ConclusionAdherence to the DASH diet was associated with decreased risk of central and general obesity, whereas higher DASH diet score was not associated with risk of dyslipidaemia in adolescents.