
4. Creation of the DASH Diet
It may help to put things in perspective if you understand the statistics behind the creation of this diet. High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) affects roughly a billion people around the world, and that number is, sadly, on the rise. The number of people affected by hypertension has doubled over the last forty years! High blood pressure in itself may not seem like a huge deal, but if left untreated, it can cause other serious health problems, including heart disease, kidney failure, and stroke. Since diet has been linked to the development of high blood pressure, it is no wonder that a healthy diet was created in order to curb this serious issue.
The original author of the diet, Marla Heller, published her first report on the diet in 1998. At this time, it seems like no one was interested in her work. Even today, people are not adhering to the rules laid out by the DASH diet. This notion is surprising, considering it is a natural diet to follow that allows you to forego medication. The need for the diet is evident, considering 2,000 people each and every day die from heart disease.