The association of dietary approach to stop hypertension (DASH) diet with hospitalization risk in patients with COVID-19

Ali Zamanian; Zahra Yari; Samira Soltanieh; Marieh Salavatizadeh; Sara Karimi; Sussan K Ardestani; Mohammadreza Salehi; Soodeh Razeghi Jahromi; Tooba Ghazanfari; Azita Hekmatdoost

doi:10.1016/j.nutos.2023.02.001

The association of dietary approach to stop hypertension (DASH) diet with hospitalization risk in patients with COVID-19

Clin Nutr Open Sci. 2023 Apr:48:55-63. doi: 10.1016/j.nutos.2023.02.001. Epub 2023 Mar 5.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Nutrition Research, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute and Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
³ Department of Immunology, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Background and aim: Given the importance of dietary habits in the immune system, the current study aimed at investigating the association between Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19.

Methods: Dietary data of 141 patients with COVID-19 were collected using 147-item food frequency questionnaire. DASH score in this cross-sectional study was calculated based on eight components, including fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts and seeds, whole grains, low-fat dairy, red or processed meats, sweetened beverages, and sodium. Multivariable logistic regression models were applied to estimate the OR and 95% CI for hospitalization due to COVID-19 in each tertile of DASH score.

Results: Mean ± SD of DASH score in inpatients (n=74) and outpatients (n= 87) was 22.5 ± 4.57 and 25.34 ± 4.23, respectively. The risk of hospitalization in the highest tertile of DASH score was 81% lower than the lowest tertile (OR=0.19, 95%CI: 0.07-0.55, P trend = 0.001 after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, energy intake). Also, more intake of fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and less intake of sodium, red and processed meat were each significantly associated with reduced risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19.

Conclusions: Our data provide evidence that adherence to DASH-style diet was associated with lower risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; DASH; Dietary approaches to stop hypertension; Dietary pattern.