Low doses of the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may reduce diastolic blood pressure, according to the results of a new study.
Researchers from King's College London, University of Leicester, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and St. Thomas' Hospital in London, England explained that the intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is associated with a decreased risk of fatal heart attack. Whether or not this effect is attributable to the effects of DHA on vascular function, particularly at intakes less than 1 gram per day, remains unknown.
In the randomized, double-blind, crossover, placebo controlled trial, researchers tested the effects of daily supplementation with 0.7 grams of DHA as a purified algal derived triacylglycerol (1.5 grams) against 1.5 grams of an olive oil placebo on vascular function and biochemical indices of endothelial dysfunction in 38 healthy men and women, aged 40 to 65 years.
Each treatment phase lasted three months, separated by a four-month washout period. The study found that supplementation increased the proportion of DHA in erythrocytes lipids by 58 percent, compared with placebo. Arterial compliance and endothelium independent and dependent responses, plasma concentrations of C-reactive protein, soluble thrombomodulin, E-selectin, von Willebrand factor antigen and urinary microalbumin and isoprostane excretion were unaffected by treatment. Diastolic blood pressure decreased and heart rate tended to be 2.1 beats per minute lower after DHA treatment than after the placebo period.
Researchers concluded that a moderate increase in the daily intake of DHA to about 0.7 grams DHA may lower diastolic BP, but it does not seem to influence indices of endothelial function or arterial stiffness in the short term.
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