Effect of the DASH diet on health outcomes and cost of managing hypertension in Egyptian adults: A Randomized controlled trial | ||||
| The Egyptian Journal of Community Medicine | ||||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 21 July 2025 | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejcm.2025.383020.1400 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Reham Salah Amin Radwan   1; Mostafa Saad Ahmed Mohamed 2; Manal Mohamed Anwar 3; Tamer Hifnawy 3; Doaa Mahmoud Khalil 4
| ||||
| 1Family medicine, Beni-Suef University | ||||
| 2Family medicine, Beni-Suef university | ||||
| 3Public Health and Community Medicine, Beni-Suef University | ||||
| 4Public Health and Community Medicine,Beni-Suef University | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Background: Hypertension, a major cardiovascular risk factor, is highly prevalent in Egypt (26.3%), leading to significant morbidity, mortality, and economic burdens. The DASH diet—rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy—effectively lowers blood pressure, improves cardiometabolic health, and is cost-effective compared to pharmacotherapy. Objective: To evaluate the effect of the DASH diet on hypertension management and drug cost in Egypt. Methods: This randomized controlled trial involved 364 hypertensive patients aged 30–60 at Esna Health Administration family medicine units in Luxor Governorate. The intervention group (182) received a DASH diet education program, while the control group (182) received standard hypertension treatment. Outcomes included blood pressure (BP), weight, waist circumference, BMI, and fasting blood glucose (FBG)-were measured at baseline and post-intervention. Results: The average age was 52.0±6.8 years in DASH group and 53.2±6.5 years in standard group. Systolic BP in DASH group decreased from 144.1±11.0 to 129.6±6.8 and diastolic BP decreased from 89.3±5.5 to 81.5±2.7 after 3 month) while they remained essentially constant in the standard group, with sustained group-time interactions (p<0.001). FBG decreased by 11.6% in the DASH group and increased by 5.8% among controls (mean difference -6.8, p<0.001). Weight (-9%), BMI (-9%), and waist circumference (-10%) declined significantly than controls (p<0.001). Post-intervention, 25.3% of DASH participants discontinued hypertension medication, with a mean cost difference of 27 LE compared with increased costs in controls. Conclusions: The DASH diet showed significant benefits in managing blood pressure, body weight, and FBG while reducing medication costs among Egyptian adults. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| DASH diet; Hypertension; cost; controlled clinical trial, Egypt | ||||
|
Statistics Article View: 54 |
||||
