One of the essential restrictions of the DASH diet is restricting the intake of dietary sodium below 3g per day. The total amount of fat should not be more than 27% of the daily energy, while the amount of saturated fats should be below 6% and protein below 18%. Compared to general nutrient recommendations, advised protein intake of the DASH diet is somewhat higher, while intake of saturated fats is more restricted. 

DASH diet is proposed to decrease the onset of insulin resistance due to high amount of vegetables and reduction of dietary sodium, both of which have been associated with better glycemic control. DASH diet has also been shown to reduce systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. Expecting mothers suffering from gestational diabetes have shown to benefit from following the DASH diet as their insulin resistance was shown to improve as a result of DASH. Studies have also established a link between hypertension and insulin sensitivity. Improvements in Insulin sensitivity have been observed on hypertensive subjects who have been able to successfully lower their blood pressure. 

Based on long term intervention studies it seems that DASH diet can serve as an effective dietary treatment to improve insulin sensitivity among other type 2 diabetes risk factors, especially when combined with other blood pressure lowering lifestyle modifications such as regular physical activity. When subjects have been overweight, following DASH leads often to weight loss. As weight loss alone has been established as one of the most effective ways to improve glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity it can be recommended also to those insulin resistant people who are overweight.