Omega-3 fats lower blood pressure

Citation

(2007), "Omega-3 fats lower blood pressure", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 37 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2007.01737eab.023

Omega-3 fats lower blood pressure

Omega-3 fats lower blood pressure

It is a well-known fact that foods containing omega-3 fatty acids may help reduce your risk for heart disease. But a new study published in the June issue of the online medical journal, Hypertension, says a diet rich in foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids such as oily fish, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils can also help lower your blood pressure, even if you do not suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure).

Scientists from Shiga University in Japan worked with a number of international colleagues to study almost 5,000 adults aged between 40 and 59 living in China, Japan, Britain and the USA. Their study called Intermap looks at a range of lifestyle factors, particularly the influence of diet on blood pressure. What they found, after adjusting for variables such as age, gender, weight, salt intake and exercise (all of which are known to have an effect on blood pressure), was those whose diets were rich in omega-3 fatty acids had on average slightly lower blood pressure than others who ate less omega-3 fats.

Though the amount of blood pressure reduction is small, it is still significant, say the researchers. "With blood pressure, every millimetre counts", explains Shiga University's Dr Hirotsugu Ueshima. "If you can reduce blood pressure a few millimetres from eating less salt, losing a few pounds, avoiding heavy drinking, eating more vegetables, whole grains and fruits (for their fibre, minerals, vegetable protein and other nutrients) and getting more omega-3 fatty acids, then you've made a big difference".

In the Intermap study, the diets richest in omega-3 fatty acids were associated with a decrease in blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic) of >1mmHg. According to the report's authors, previous studies suggest that a blood pressure decrease of just 2mmHg is enough to reduce a population's average death rate from stroke by an estimated 6 per cent, and from coronary heart disease by 4 per cent.

How to get your omega-3s

According to the study's authors, you can boost your intake of omega-3 fatty acids by eating more nuts such as walnuts, seeds such as flax seed and vegetable oil such as canola and soya bean oil, as well as increasing your intake of unsalted, cooked fish such as trout, mackerel, herring and sardines.

One of the main omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish is EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid). VegEPA from Igennus (www.vegepa.com), combines ultra-pure EPA from marine fish oil and GLA (gamma-linolenic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid) from organic virgin evening primrose oil. The GLA content in VegEPA capsules contain plant-derived substances called triterpenes, which, in studies, have been shown to protect cells against oxidative damage, which is also believed to be good for the heart.