Lack of effect of fish oil supplementation on blood pressure in treated hypertensives

Lindon M.H. Wing, Paul J. Nestel, John P. Chalmers, Ian Rouse, Malcolm J. West, Alexandra J. Bune, Anne L. Tonkin, Andrew E. Russell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

42 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Fish and fish oils have been reported to reduce blood pressure in normotensives and untreated hypertensives. The present study examined the effect of dietary supplementation with fish oil on blood pressure in 20 treated hypertensives with controlled blood pressures who continued their usual antihypertensive drug treatment throughout. A double-blind, randomized crossover design was used, with two phases, each of 8 weeks' duration. In one phase, subjects took fifteen 1 g fish oil capsules (Lipitac; Reckitt and Colman Pharmaceuticals, Sydney, Australia) daily, and in the other, 15 capsules of identical appearance containing 1 g olive oil daily. There was no difference between the treatment phases for any blood pressure parameter, heart rate or body weight, but blood pressure was lower in both phases compared with pretreatment values. The fasting plasma triglyceride concentration was 30% lower in the fish oil phase (P < 0.001), but there was no difference between the phases for plasma concentrations of total or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. We conclude that, in treated hypertensives with controlled blood pressures, any additional fall in blood pressure produced by dietary supplementation with fish oil is so small that the requirement for antihypertensive drug therapy is unlikely to be reduced.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)339-343
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Hypertension
Volume8
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 1990
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Blood pressure
  • Eicosapentaenoic acid
  • Fatty acids
  • Fish oils
  • Hypertension
  • Lipids

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Lack of effect of fish oil supplementation on blood pressure in treated hypertensives'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this