The Ready-to-Eat Meals for Cardiovascular Health Study

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The proposed project explores the acceptability and health benefits of ready-to-eat (RTE) meals based on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan. The researchers have developed 14 recipes following the DASH eating plan, which is recommended for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The prepackaged meals will be processed using Washington State University (WSU) microwave technologies to ensure food safety. In this pilot study, a sample of 30 participants will be recruited by to study the impact of the DASH meals on blood pressure. All meals will be provided to participants, who will consume the meals daily over a period of 4 weeks. Daily and weekly monitoring of participants (blood pressure and weight) will allow us to gain a scientific understanding on the preventive power of healthy diets in lowering blood pressure and reducing CVD risk.

Official Title
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The Ready-to-EAt Meals for Cardiovascular Health (REACH) Study

Conditions
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Diet, Hypertension, Cardiovascular Diseases, Blood Pressure

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Ready-to-eat meals


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Male or female 18 years old or older BMI 18.5-40.0 kg/m2 Daily access to working internet, microwave, refrigerator, and freezer English fluency Exclusion Criteria: Regular use of drugs that affect BP, including weight loss medications Diagnosed hypertension OR systolic BP >130 and/or diastolic BP >80 Diagnosis of any hypotensive disorders OR systolic BP <100 and/or diastolic BP<65 Dietary restrictions, including allergy/intolerances Presence or history of diabetes Previous cardiac event, congestive heart failure, or angina Weight loss or gain>15lb in previous 3 months Following a diet to increase or decrease body weight Cancer diagnosis or treatment in past 2 years ≥14 alcoholic drinks/week for men; ≥ 7 alcoholic drinks/week for women Use of nicotine, marijuana, or illicit drugs Pregnancy, planned pregnancy, or breastfeeding Inability to comprehend the nature of the study or instructions No access to the internet Planning to leave the Spokane area during the study Not fluent in the English language

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Pre-post design
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Other: Ready-to-eat meals<br>Pre-Post | Other: Ready-to-eat meals<br>* Participant group to consume ready-to-eat meals in accordance with the DASH diet for a period of 4 weeks.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Blood pressure | To determine dietary patterns on blood pressure using an omron blood pressure monitor. | through study completion, measured weekly for 5 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Body weight (kg) | To determine dietary patterns on body weight (kg) using a Angel USA 400 Pound Physician Digital Scale. | through study completion, measured weekly for 5 weeks | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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DASH, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, Meals, High Blood Pressure, Hypertension