| Title: | Association between the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and risk of incident heart failure and heart failure-related death: a UK Biobank cohort study |
| Journal: | Open Heart |
| Published: | 1 Jul 2026 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42575672/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1136/openhrt-2026-004101 |
Publication 21443
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Evidence supporting dietary interventions for heart failure (HF) prevention remains limited. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet has been proposed as a cardioprotective dietary pattern, but population-level evidence linking DASH adherence to HF risk is sparse.</p>
AIM: To examine the association between adherence to the DASH diet-characterised by high intake of vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and lower consumption of sodium and red and processed meat-with combined risk of HF incidence and death due to HF, as well as its risk factors, namely hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).</p>
METHODS: A prospective cohort analysis was conducted using UK Biobank participants free of HF at baseline (2006-2010), with follow-up to 2024. Dietary intake was assessed using ≥2 instances of 24-hour recall. DASH scores were derived and categorised into quintiles. Fine-Gray competing risks Cox models estimated adjusted HRs (aHRs) and 95% CIs for a primary composite outcome of incident HF or HF-related death, adjusting for sociodemographic factors, deprivation, obesity, smoking, hypertension and T2DM and accounting for all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were incident hypertension and T2DM.</p>
RESULTS: Among 124 777 participants (mean age 56.1±7.8 years; 56% female; 7% with diabetes; 36% with hypertension), followed for a mean of 12 years, 2931 HF events and 441 HF-related deaths occurred. Compared with the lowest DASH adherence quintile, the highest quintile had a lower risk of HF after adjustment for sociodemographic factors (aHR 0.79, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.89, p<0.001) and comorbidities (aHR 0.89, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.00, p<0.05). Greater DASH adherence was associated with reduced risk of hypertension (aHR 0.91, 95% CI 0.86 to 0.96, p<0.001) and T2DM (aHR 0.82, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.90, p<0.001).</p>
CONCLUSIONS: Greater adherence to the DASH diet was associated with lower combined risk of HF and death due to HF, as well as hypertension and T2DM, supporting the role of a DASH diet in HF prevention.</p>
18 Keywords
- Aged
- Biological Specimen Banks
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
- Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension
- Female
- Follow-Up Studies
- Heart Failure
- Humans
- Hypertension
- Incidence
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Prospective Studies
- Risk Assessment
- Risk Factors
- Time Factors
- UK Biobank
- United Kingdom
7 Authors
- Lee P Liao
- Patroys De Paz
- Simone Marschner
- Gary C H Gan
- Liza Thomas
- Luigi Fontana
- Sarah Zaman
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 777398 | The relationship between dietary patterns or components and heart failure (HF) risk or incidence |
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