Following the DASH diet helps lower both the top and bottom numbers of your blood pressure by a few points, no matter if you already have high blood pressure or not.

Following the DASH diet can lower high blood pressure by 3 to 16 points in adults, making it a helpful way to protect heart health. The actual drop in blood pressure might be smaller in everyday life compared to strict medical studies, depending on how well the diet is followed and individual health factors.

Following the DASH diet, which focuses on fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy, can lower both the top and bottom numbers of your blood pressure if you have high blood pressure.

For people with mild high blood pressure, eating all meals within an 8-hour window while following the DASH diet lowers blood pressure more than just the DASH diet alone over six weeks.

Eating the DASH diet alongside common blood pressure medications can help lower your top blood pressure number even more, potentially dropping it by up to 9.5 points compared to taking the medication alone.

If you have high blood pressure and eat a lot of salt, switching to the DASH diet can lower your blood pressure by up to 10.6 points—but if you’re already eating very little salt, the diet might not help as much. So, it works best when you’re still eating salty foods.