Effect of Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on lipid profile in individuals with overweight/ obesity: A GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials

Background and aim

Obesity is a major nutritional disease that increases the risk of developing serious health conditions like dyslipidemia. Plant-based diets, like DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension), can help lower the risk of dyslipidemia. However, evidence on the effect of DASH diet on lipid profile in populations with overweight/obesity is inconsistent. This meta-analysis of controlled trials investigated the effects of the DASH diet on lipid profile in individuals with overweight/obesity.

Methods and results

A search for relevant studies was conducted in databases like PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus until January 2024. The calculation of weighted-mean differences (WMDs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) was performed based on the random-effects model. Sensitivity, meta-regression and publication bias analyses were also conducted. 22 eligible studies with 26 arms and 3562 participants were included. DASH diet significantly reduced total cholesterol (TC) (WMD: 5.05 mg/dl, 95 % CI: 8.78, −1.31, p = 0.008), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (WMD: 5.33 mg/dl, 95 % CI: 8.54, −2.11, p = 0.001) and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) (WMD: 3.26, 95 % CI: 6.19, -0.34, p = 0.029) levels. Greater reductions were observed in studies with durations ≤8 weeks. All of the included studies were classified as high quality except two, which were classified as moderate quality. LDL-C and VLDL-C were categorized as high-grade evidence, while others were categorized as moderate.

Conclusions

DASH diet could improve the lipid profile of individuals with overweight/obesity by decreasing TC, LDL-C and VLDL-C levels. However, it doesn't have significant effects on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels.