Association between DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) and hypertension in adolescents: A cross-sectional school-based study.

Background & Aims: The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is considered a healthy dietary pattern, and is recommended for the control of arterial hypertension (AH). However, its role in the adolescent population needs to be better investigated and clarified. The aim of this study is to identify the association between AH and the DASH diet score in a representative sample of Brazilian adolescents.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using data from a national, multicenter and schoolbased probabilistic sample of 71,553 Brazilian adolescents who had their blood pressure (BP) measured and completed a 24-hour dietary recall (2013-2014). The components of the DASH score were assessed. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between AH, anthropometric and sociodemographic variables, and the tertile of the DASH score.

Results: Approximately 11% of the adolescents who were in the 3rd tertile of the DASH score presented AH, 18% were overweight and 9% were obese. Among the components of the score, the highest intake was sugar-sweetened beverages (92.1%), legumes and oilseeds (68.2%), red and processed meat (64.5%) and the lowest were low-fat dairy (2.2%), whole grains (11.6%) and fruits (18.1%). Sodium intake was above the maximum recommended in all tertiles.

Conclusions: A small proportion of Brazilian adolescents consume foods from the DASH diet. No associations were found between this dietary pattern and AH. Strategies to increase the intake of protective foods in adolescents must be investigated as well as the potential health benefits of the standard DASH diet for this age group over time.