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Low-Dose DHA Modestly Lowers Blood Pressure
British researchers have demonstrated that low doses of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in algae and fish oil, modestly reduce blood pressure.* Previous studies have associated intake of omega-3 fatty acids with a decreased risk of death from heart attack.
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 38 healthy men and women aged 40-65, the subjects received either 0.7 grams of DHA or placebo daily for three months. After a four-month washout period, the treatments were switched. When subjects took DHA, their diastolic blood pressure fell by 3.3 mm Hg and their heart rate dropped by 2.1 beats per minute.
The results indicate that a moderate increase in the daily intake of DHA . . . lowers diastolic blood pressure, the researchers concluded.
Dale Kiefer
Reference
* Theobald HE, Goodall AH, Sattar N, Talbot DC, Chowienczyk PJ, Sanders TA. Low-dose docosahexaenoic acid lowers diastolic blood pressure in middle-aged men and women. J Nutr. 2007 Apr;137(4):973-8.
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