DASH diet for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (Cochrane review)
Cochrane review (2025) of five randomised trials (1397 participants): long-term effects of the DASH diet on myocardial infarction, stroke, and mortality remain inconclusive because included trials were short, small, and often focused on risk factors; authors report low to very low certainty evidence for hard outcomes.
Scope
Cochrane assessment of DASH dietary interventions vs no / minimal / other dietary comparators for primary or secondary CVD prevention.
Included evidence base
- 5 RCTs, 1397 participants meeting inclusion; all primary-prevention contexts in eligible trials
- Intervention length 16 weeks–12 months; follow-up 16 weeks–18 months in reviewed trials (per abstract)
Hard-outcome headline (abstract narrative)
Authors conclude inconclusive evidence for MI, stroke, CV mortality, all-cause mortality owing to sparse events, short follow-up, and risk of bias; heart failure and revascularisation endpoints largely not reported.
Risk-factor direction (still useful)
Review authors summarise that DASH may lower BP, total cholesterol, and triglycerides while raising HDL-C, with little/no LDL-C effect vs some comparators—read forest plots for each comparison stratum.
Publication
Bensaaud A, Seery S, Gibson I, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2025 May 6;5(5):CD013729. PMID 40326569.
Outcomes
- Hard cardiovascular outcomes (MI, stroke, mortality): Cochrane authors judge evidence inconclusive across 5 RCTs (n=1397) with low–very low certainty—trials short and event-sparse.
- Risk-factor signals summarised in abstract: DASH may reduce BP, total cholesterol, and triglycerides and increase HDL-C vs no/usual care while showing little/no LDL-C effect—GRADE varies by comparison.