***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: BACKGROUND Venous thromboembolism ( VTE ) and cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) share some risk factors , including obesity , but it is unclear how dietary patterns associated with reduced risk of CVD relate to risk of VTE . OBJECTIVE To compare the relationships of adherence to a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)-style diet with the risks of CVD and VTE . PATIENTS / METHODS We confirmed by medical record review 1094 incident cases of CVD and 675 incident VTEs during a mean follow-up of 14.6 years in 34 827 initially healthy participants in the Women 's Health Study who completed at baseline a 133-item food frequency question naire scored for adherence to a DASH diet .  We compared estimated associations of dietary patterns with CVD and VTE from proportional hazards models in a competing risk framework . RESULTS Initial analyses adjusted for age , energy intake and r and omized treatments showed 36 - 41 % reduced hazards of CVD among women in the top two quintiles of DASH score relative to those in the bottom quintile ( P(trend ) < 0.001 ) . In multivariate analysis , women in the top two quintiles had 12 - 23 % reduced hazards of CVD relative to women in the bottom quintile ( P(trend ) = 0.04 ) . Analyses restricted to coronary events showed more variable 10 - 33 % reduced hazards in the top two quintiles ( P(trend ) = 0.09 ) . In contrast , higher DASH scores were unrelated to risk of VTE , with a 1 % reduced hazard for the top vs. bottom quintile ( P(trend ) = 0.95 ) . CONCLUSION An apparently strong association of adherence to the DASH diet with incidence of CVD was attenuated upon control for confounding variables . Adherence to the DASH diet was not associated with risk of VTE in women BACKGROUND The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension ( DASH ) diet , which emphasizes fruits , vegetables , and low fat dairy products , significantly lowers blood pressure ( BP ) . We conducted a clinical trial to assess the BP response to the DASH diet with an antihypertensive medication , losartan , in participants with essential hypertension . METHODS A total of 55 hypertensive participants were r and omly assigned to 8 weeks of controlled feeding with either a control diet or the DASH diet . Within each diet arm , participants received losartan 50 mg daily or placebo for 4 weeks each , in double blind , r and omized , cross-over fashion . Twenty-four-hour ambulatory BP ( ABP ) was measured at the end of a 2-week run-in period ( baseline ) and after each 4-week intervention period . RESULTS There was no significant change in ABP during the placebo period on the control diet ( n = 28 ) ( -2.3 + /- 1.5/-1.6 + /- 1.0 mm Hg ) , but there was a significant reduction in systolic ABP ( -5.3 + /- 1.5 mm Hg , P < .05 ) and no change in DBP ( -2.5 + /- 1.0 mm Hg ) on the DASH diet ( n = 27 ) . Losartan significantly reduced ABP on the control diet ( -6.7 + /- 1.5/-3.7 + /- 1.0 mm Hg , P < .05 ) and to a greater extent on the DASH diet ( -11.7 + /- 1.5/-6.9 + /- 1.0 mm Hg , P < .05 versus basal and control diet ) particularly in African Americans . On the DASH diet , DeltaSBP on losartan was inversely related to basal plasma renin activity ( n = -0.53 , P = .004 ) . CONCLUSIONS The DASH diet enhances the ABP response to losartan in essential hypertension . This effect is particularly marked in African Americans BACKGROUND The Mediterranean and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension ( DASH ) diets are characterized by higher intake of fruit , vegetables , whole grains , and unsaturated fatty acids . All of these foods and nutrients may affect cholesterol , inflammation , the development of atherosclerosis , and , therefore , risk of cardiac death . OBJECTIVE Our objective was to examine the association between the Mediterranean and DASH dietary patterns and risk of  sudden cardiac death ( SCD ) in women . DESIGN We used a prospect i ve cohort of 93,122 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women 's Health Initiative study between 1993 and 1998 and followed for an average of 10.5 y. Women completed a food-frequency question naire ( FFQ ) twice during follow-up . We scored their diets according to how closely the reported diet resembled each dietary pattern . SCD was defined as death that occurred within 1 h of symptom onset . RESULTS A higher Mediterranean diet score was associated with lower risk of SCD ( HR : 0.64 ; 95 % CI : 0.43 , 0.94 ) when women in the highest quintile were compared with women in the lowest quintile after adjustment for age , total energy , race , income , smoking , and physical activity . After adjustment for potential mediators , the association was similar ( HR : 0.67 ; 95 % CI : 0.46 , 0.99 ) . A higher DASH diet score was not associated with risk of SCD . However , sodium intake , which is a crucial component of the DASH dietary pattern , was not well characterized by the FFQ . CONCLUSION The Mediterranean dietary pattern may be associated with lower risk of SCD in women . This trial was registered at clinical trials.gov as NCT00000611 Background —The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension ( DASH ) diet is recommended in the 2005 US Dietary Guidelines . To underst and the potential benefits of DASH on coronary heart disease ( CHD ) , we applied the Framingham risk equations to calculate 10-year risk of developing CHD using data from the DASH trial . Methods and Results —In the DASH trial , 459 individuals with prehypertension or stage-1 hypertension not taking antihypertensive medication were r and omly assigned to 1 of 3 diets : control , fruits and vegetables ( F/V ) , or DASH ( rich in fruits , vegetables , low-fat dairy , and reduced in fats and cholesterol ) . Weight was held constant . Estimated 10-year CHD risk was the primary outcome of this secondary analysis . Among 436 participants with complete data , mean ( SD ) age was 44.7 ( 10.7 ) years , 51 % were male , and 60 % were African-American .  Median 10-year CHD risk was 0.98 % at baseline and decreased in all groups . Compared with control , the relative risk ratio comparing 8-week with baseline 10-year CHD risk was 0.93 ( 95 % confidence interval , 0.85 to 1.02 ; P=0.12 ) for F/V and 0.82 ( 95 % confidence interval , 0.75 to 0.90 ; P<0.001 ) for DASH . Comparing DASH with F/V , the relative risk ratio was 0.89 ( 95 % confidence interval , 0.81 to 0.97 ; P=0.012 ) . With the exception of an interaction between dietary pattern and race suggesting a greater risk reduction in blacks than whites ( P for interaction=0.038 ) , results were similar across subgroups . Conclusions —Compared with control and F/V , the DASH diet reduced estimated 10-year CHD risk by 18 % and 11 % , respectively . In addition to reducing blood pressure , the DASH diet should substantially reduce the risk of CHD . Clinical Trial Registration —URL : http:// clinical trials.gov . Unique identifier : NCT00000544 BACKGROUND Weight loss reduces blood pressure , and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension ( DASH ) diet has also been shown to lower blood pressure . OBJECTIVE Our goal was to assess the effect on blood pressure of 2 weight-reduction diets : a low-fat diet ( LF diet ) and a moderate-sodium , high-potassium , high-calcium , low-fat DASH diet ( WELL diet ) . DESIGN After baseline measurements , 63 men were r and omly assigned to either the WELL or the LF diet for 12 wk , and both diet groups undertook 0.5 h of moderate physical activity on most days of the week . RESULTS Fifty-four men completed the study . Their mean ( + /-SD ) age was 47.9 + /- 9.3 y ( WELL diet  , n = 27 ; LF diet , n = 27 ) , and their mean baseline home systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 129.4 + /- 11.3 and 80.6 + /- 8.6 mm Hg , respectively . Body weight decreased by 4.9 + /- 0.6 kg ( + /-SEM ) in the WELL group and by 4.6 + /- 0.6 kg in the LF group ( P < 0.001 for both ) . There was a greater decrease in blood pressure in the WELL group than in the LF group [ between-group difference ( week 12 -baseline ) in both SBP ( 5.5 + /- 1.9 mm Hg ; P = 0.006 ) and DBP ( 4.4 + /- 1.2 mm Hg ; P = 0.001 ) ] . CONCLUSIONS For a comparable 5-kg weight loss , a diet high in low-fat dairy products , vegetables , and fruit ( the WELL diet ) result ed in a greater decrease in blood pressure than did the LF diet . This dietary approach to achieving weight reduction may confer an additional benefit in reducing blood pressure in those who are overweight BACKGROUND Whether different intakes of vegetables and fruit modulate immunologic markers is currently not known . OBJECTIVE We investigated the effects of low , medium , and high intakes of vegetables and fruit on markers of immune functions , including nonspecific markers of inflammation . DESIGN In a r and omized controlled trial , nonsmoking men consumed a diet that included < or = 2 servings/d of vegetables and fruit for 4 wk . The subjects were then r and omly assigned to 1 of 3 groups to consume 2 servings/d , 5 servings/d , or 8 servings/d of carotenoid-rich vegetables and fruit for another 4-wk period . Plasma concentrations of vitamins C and E and carotenoids were measured . The assessment of immunologic and inflammatory markers included the number and activity of natural killer cells , secretion of cytokines , lymphocyte proliferation , and plasma C-reactive protein concentrations . RESULTS The high intake ( 8 servings/d ) of vegetables and fruit significantly increased total carotenoid concentrations in plasma compared with the low intake ( 2 servings/d ; week 4 compared with week 8) , whereas concentrations of vitamins C and E did not differ between week 4 and week 8 . Immunologic markers were not significantly modulated . In contrast , C-reactive protein was significantly reduced at week 8 in the subjects who consumed 8 servings/d of vegetables and fruit compared with those who consumed 2 servings/d . CONCLUSIONS In healthy , well-nourished , nonsmoking men , 4 wk of low or high intakes of carotenoid-rich vegetables and fruit did not affect markers of immune function . However , a high intake of vegetables and fruit may reduce inflammatory processes , as indicated by the reduction of plasma C-reactive protein A diet rich in fruits , vegetables , and low-fat dairy foods has been shown to lower blood pressure ( BP ) when all foods are provided . We compared the effect on BP ( measured at home ) of 2 different self-selected diets : a low-sodium , high-potassium diet , rich in fruit and vegetables ( LNAHK ) and a high-calcium diet rich in low-fat dairy foods ( HC ) with a moderate-sodium , high-potassium , high-calcium DASH-type diet , high in fruits , vegetables and low-fat dairy foods ( OD ) . Subjects were r and omly allocated to 2 test diets for 4 wk , the OD and either LNAHK or HC diet , each preceded by a 2 wk control diet ( CD ) . The changes in BP between the preceding CD period and the test diet period ( LNAHK or HC ) were compared with the change between the CD and the OD periods . Of the 56 men and 38 women that completed the OD period , 43 completed the LNAHK diet period and 48 the HC diet period . The mean age was 55.6 + /- 9.9 ( + /-SD ) years . There was a fall in systolic pressure between and the CD and OD [ -1.8 + /- 0.5 mm Hg ( P < 0.001 ) ] . Compared with OD , systolic and diastolic BPs fell during the LNAHK diet period [ -3.5 + /- 1.0 ( P < 0.001 ) and -1.9 + /- 0.7 ( P < 0.05 ) mmHg , respectively ] and increased during the HC diet period [ + 3.1 + /- 0.9 ( P < 0. 
    Output:
    
There was no effect on HDL-C , triglycerides , fasting blood glucose , HOMA-IR , or CRP .
Current evidence allows for the conclusion that the DASH dietary pattern is associated with decreased incidence of cardiovascular disease and improves blood pressure with evidence of other cardiometabolic advantages in people with and without diabetes .