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Background: Initial findings from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)-Sodium Trial demonstrated that reduction of sodium intake in two different diets decreased blood pressure in participants with and without hypertension. Objective: To determine effects on blood pressure of reduced sodium intake and the DASH diet in additional subgroups. Design: Randomized feeding study. Setting: Four clinical centers and a coordinating center. Participants: 412 adults with untreated systolic blood pressure of 120 to 160 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure of 80 to 95 mm Hg. Intervention: Participants followed the DASH diet or a control (typical U.S.) diet for three consecutive 30-day feeding periods, during which sodium intake (50, 100, and 150 mmol/d at 2100 kcal) varied according to a randomly assigned sequence. Body weight was maintained. Measurements: Systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Results: In all subgroups, the DASH diet and reduced sodium intake were each associated with significant decreases in blood pressure; these two factors combined produced the greatest reductions. Among nonhypertensive participants who received the control diet, lower (vs. higher) sodium intake decreased blood pressure by 7.0/3.8 mm Hg in those older than 45 years of age (P< 0.001) and by 3.7/1.5 mm Hg in those 45 years of age or younger (P< 0.05). Conclusion: The DASH diet plus reduced sodium intake is recommended to control blood pressure in diverse subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several topics discussed at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) State-of-the-Science Conference Statement in the U.S. is presented. Topics include family history for common diseases, health improvement, and medical research. The panel of the conference outlined several guide questions related to the above mentioned topics and concluded that family history plays an important role in medicine practice and can prompt positive lifestyle changes.