DASH Diet for the Primary and Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases

Karl T. Clebak, MD, MHA, FAAFP,

Makayla Lagerman, MD,

Zakary Newberry, MD,

Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey

American Family Physician. 2026;113(2):127-128.

Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.

This clinical content conforms to AAFP criteria for CME.

Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.

1.Bensaaud A, Seery S, Gibson I, et al. Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2025(5):CD013729.
2.World Health Organization. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) fact sheet. Updated July 31, 2025. Accessed December 19, 2025. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds)
3.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart disease facts. Updated October 24, 2024. Accessed December 19, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/data-research/facts-stats/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
4.Arnett DK, Blumenthal RS, Albert MA, et al. 2019 ACC/AHA guideline on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Circulation. 2019;140(11):e596-e646.

These are summaries of reviews from the Cochrane Library.

This series is coordinated by Corey D. Fogleman, MD, assistant medical editor.

A collection of Cochrane for Clinicians published in AFP is available at https://www.aafp.org/afp/cochrane.