Adherence to the DASH Diet Is Inversely Associated With Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes: The Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study

OBJECTIVE: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet has been widely promoted; however, little is known about its impact on type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We evaluated the association of the DASH diet with incidence of type 2 diabetes among 862 participants of the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS) who completed a 1-year food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Type 2 diabetes odds ratios (ORs) were estimated at tertiles of the DASH score. RESULTS: An inverse association was observed in whites (tertile 2 vs. tertile 1, OR 0.66 [95% CI 0.29–1.48]) that became significant for the most extreme contrast (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1, 0.31 [0.13–0.75]), with adjustment for covariates. No association was observed in blacks or Hispanics (tertile 2 vs. tertile 1, 1.16 [0.61–2.18 ]; tertile 3 vs. tertile 1, 1.34 [0.70–2.58 ]). CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to the DASH dietary pattern, which is rich in vegetables, fruit, and low-fat dairy products, may have the potential to prevent type 2 diabetes.