# Discovery, Replication, and Validation of Biomarkers of the DASH Diet and Hypertension

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $745,989

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
 Diet is a modifiable risk factor for one of the most serious threats to global public health: cardiovascular
disease. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern is one example of a high-
quality diet that is high in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products and low in sodium, saturated fat, and
cholesterol. The DASH diet is widely recognized as an effective approach for the prevention of hypertension,
cardiovascular disease, and related cardiometabolic diseases. Existing biomarkers of dietary intake are few
and represent single nutrients rather than a holistic dietary pattern. Metabolomics and proteomics are high-
throughput methods for efficient measurement of compounds in biological specimens. The metabolome
reflects the breakdown products of food that is consumed and can represent not only food items and their
components but also dietary patterns. The proteome represents biological function and activity, which
complements the metabolomic profile. We propose to conduct untargeted metabolomics and proteomics for
the discovery of novel biomarkers of the DASH diet as well as biomarkers of DASH diet mediated blood
pressure reduction. Findings will be replicated in two independent study populations and validated by using
targeted, quantitative assays of candidate biomarkers. This cost-effective proposal leverages the existence of
study data and biospecimens in the NHBLI BioLINCC repository as well as existing omics data. The study
team is led by a K01-funded, early stage investigator who has been trained in metabolomics of diet and chronic
disease outcomes. Study team members are established, senior investigators who have a history of
collaboration with the Principal Investigator and complementary expertise in nutritional biochemistry,
untargeted metabolomics and proteomics platforms, laboratory methodology, biostatistics, dietary intake, blood
pressure, and deep knowledge of the study populations to be investigated. This proposed research will
advance the current methods for assessing dietary intake and will provide insights for clinically-important, diet-
modifiable metabolic pathways.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10295307
- **Project number:** 1R01HL153178-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Casey Marie Rebholz
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $745,989
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10295307

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10295307, Discovery, Replication, and Validation of Biomarkers of the DASH Diet and Hypertension (1R01HL153178-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10295307. Licensed CC0.

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