The Ready-to-Eat Meals for Cardiovascular Health Study (REACH)

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

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Cardiovascular Diseases; Hypertension; Blood Pressure; Diet
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Ready-to-eat meals

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Washington
    • Spokane, Washington, United States, 99202
      • Washington State University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

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

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

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

What is the study measuring?

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

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Washington State University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Pablo Monsivais, PhD, MPH, Washington State University; Principal Investigator: Martine M Perrigue, PhD, RDN, Washington State University; Principal Investigator: Catherine Jarrett, PhD, RDN, Washington State University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 7, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 15, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 20, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): July 25, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 3, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 1, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Hypertension; High Blood Pressure; DASH; Meals; Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Vascular Diseases; Hypertension; Cardiovascular Diseases; Food; Diet, Food, and Nutrition; Physiological Phenomena; Food and Beverages; Fast Foods
• Other Study ID Numbers: 19288-001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No