The DASH diet is recommended for improving health and longevity. This RCT1 compared 94 adults (mixture of hypertension, prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, and overweight or obesity), comparing a very low carbohydrate (VLC), i.e. a keto diet vs the DASH diet, over four months with or without extra support.
The VLC diet aimed for intake of only 20 to 35gm of non-fibre carbohydrates daily, aiming for nutritional ketosis defined as a positive urine dipstick at least weekly. The VLC diet led to a lower mean systolic blood pressure (–9.77 mm Hg vs –5.18 mm Hg), lower glycated haemoglobin (–0.35% vs –0.14%), and lower weight (–8.8 kg vs –4.7 kg). All results were statistically significant, but not for the extra support. This is a small but very well designed study.