The association of dietary approach to stop hypertension (DASH) with risk of gallstone disease: a case control study

Since little is known about the association between diet and gallstone disease (GSD), in this study, we investigated the relationship between Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the risk of GSD. In this case–control study, 189 patients with newly diagnosed GSD and 342 healthy controls were included. The DASH score was calculated using a 168-item semi-quantitative validated food frequency questionnaire. Participants were classified into tertiles based on the DASH diet score. Crude and multivariable logistic regression models were applied to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for risk of GSD across tertiles of DASH score. The mean ± standard deviation of DASH score in patients with GSD and controls was 22.6 ± 4.2 and 24.9 ± 4.9, respectively (P < 0.001). The risk of GSD in the highest tertile of DASH score was 82% lower than the lowest tertile (OR = 0.18, 95%CI: 0.1–0.3, P < 0.001) after full adjustment for confounders. In addition, higher intake of vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products were significantly associated with a reduced risk of GSD (P trend < 0.001). In contrast, red and processed meats (P trend = 0.034), sweetened beverages (P trend = 0.019), and sodium (P trend = 0.050) were significantly associated with an increased risk of GSD. These findings provide evidence that adherence to the DASH is associated with a lower risk of GSD. Further investigations are required to confirm our findings.