The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, Diet, developed in part by scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, has been recognized as the second-best diet overall and the best heart-healthy diet in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Diets Rankings.
Released annually at the start of the new year, when many people are looking to diets and healthy eating options as part of New Year’s resolutions, US News & World Report’s Best Diets ranking examines 38 diets from 21 categories.
The DASH diet, known for combating high blood pressure, was praised for being well-researched and scientifically supported for its health benefits, for being nutritionally complete and versatile, and for being filling and non-restrictive, according to US News & World Report.
The DASH Diet was developed by some of our Pennington Biomedical pioneers, with Dr. George Bray, Dr. Donna Ryan and Dr. Catherine Champagne among the lead developers in the DASH Diet Collaborative Research Group. Thirty years after its development, the DASH diet has stood the test of time and is a proven eating plan with numerous health benefits. Pennington Biomedical is proud of our history and role in the DASH diet.”
Dr. John Kirwan, executive director of Pennington Biomedical
In the US News & World Report 2025 rankings, the DASH diet appears in several categories, including:
- Best Diets Overall (No. 2)
- Best Heart-Healthy Diets (No. 1)
- Best Diets for High Blood Pressure (No. 1)
- Best Diets for High Cholesterol (No. 2)
- Best Diabetes Diets (No. 3)
- Best Diets for Prediabetes (No. 2)
- Best Diets for Healthy Eating (No. 2)
- Best Diets for Gut Health (No. 2)
- Easiest Diets to Follow (No. 3)
- Best Diets for Mental Health (No. 4)
- Best Diets for Menopause (No. 4)
- Best Diets for Arthritis (No. 4)
- Best Diets for Brain Health (No. 4)
“The DASH diet is a healthy eating pattern that is easy to stick to, and it works for the whole family,” says Dr. Champagne, professor and registered dietitian nutritionist at Pennington Biomedical. “For the past 15 years, DASH has been at or near the top of the U.S. News & World Report rankings because it is scientifically proven to lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of stroke, reduce the risk of cardiovascular events and work to improve metabolism, regardless of your size.”
The DASH diet is an eating plan that is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and total fat and emphasizes fruits, vegetables and fat-free or low-fat milk and dairy products. The diet includes whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts, while reducing lean red meat, sweets, added sugars and sugary drinks compared to the typical American diet. It is rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium, as well as protein and fiber.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, funded the research for the DASH diet. The study results were first published in the 1997 New England Journal of Medicine publication, which has been cited approximately 6,000 times by other researchers since its original publication.
US News’s evaluation of diets follows a methodology developed in collaboration with The Harris Poll, taking into account evaluations from 69 expert panelists – including physicians, registered dietitians, nutritional epidemiologists, chefs and weight loss researchers.