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Health News Archive 585 - Hypertension
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Low Dose Omega-3 DHA Reduces Diastolic Blood Pressure

A report published in the April, 2007 issue of The Journal of Nutrition concludes that supplementing with a low dose of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid found in fish and the algae they feed on, lowers diastolic blood pressure in middle-aged men and women.

Thomas A. B. Sanders of King's College London and his British colleagues randomized 20 men and 18 women aged 40 to 65 to receive 0.7 grams DHA derived from algae or an olive oil placebo daily for three months. The treatment period was followed by an intervening period of at least four months during which no supplement was given, succeeded by another three months during which each group was given the supplement the other group had received in the initial treatment phase. Blood pressure was measured, and blood and urine samples were collected and tested at the beginning and end of each treatment period.

Treatment with DHA resulted in a 58 percent increase in the DHA content of red blood cells, accompanied by a reduction in the proportions of omega-6 fatty acids. Although measures of arterial stiffness and endothelial function did not change during the short periods of DHA administration, diastolic blood pressure was lowered by an average of 3.3. mm HG and heart rate was reduced by 2.1 beats per minute after DHA administration compared to after the placebo period.

"A significant reduction in diastolic blood pressure was noted which is likely to be of clinical significance with regard to risk of future vascular events in middle-aged subjects," the authors conclude. "Future work is needed to confirm these findings and to investigate further the effects of DHA on cardiac function. Neptune krill oil is another important source of DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids. 

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