 The study design was a randomized, three period cross-over feeding study that compared the effects on blood pressure and plasma lipids of a carbohydrate-rich diet patterned after the DASH diet CARB to two other diets, one rich in protein PROTEIN and another rich in unsaturated UNSAT fat, predominantly monounsaturated fat. The DASH diet has been shown to reduce blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol substantially, and is currently recommended by policy makers. During a one week run-in, all participants were fed samples of the three study diets CARB, PROTEIN and UNSAT. Using a three period cross-over design, participants were then randomly assigned to the CARB, PROTEIN or UNSAT diet. Each feeding period lasted six weeks; a washout period of at least two weeks separated each feeding period. Throughout feeding run-in and the three intervention periods, participants were fed sufficient calories to maintain their weight. Trial participants were 30 years of age or older, with systolic blood pressure of 120-159 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure of 90-99 mmHg. Primary outcomes variables were blood pressure and the established plasma lipid risk factors LDL-C, HDL-C and triglycerides. Secondary outcomes include total cholesterol, apolipoproteins VLDL-apoB, VLDL-apoCIII, apolipoprotein B, non-HDL cholesterol, and lipoproteina. 