FISH-OIL AS AN ADJUVANT IN THE TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION

Study Objective. To evaluate the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on blo od pressure control and lipid levels. Design. Double-blind, placebo-co ntrolled, randomized study. Setting. Veterans Affairs Medical Center t eaching hospital. Patients. Twenty-one men whose blood pressure was no t optimally controlled with antihypertensive agents, who met the inclu sion criteria. Interventions. Patients were randomized to receive eith er fish oil (4.5 g omega-3 fatty acids/day) or placebo. Measurements a nd Main Results. Blood pressure readings were taken at baseline, and 4 and 8 weeks. Sitting systolic and diastolic blood pressures were sign ificantly reduced in the fish oil group at both week 4 (148/97 to 132/ 90, p<0.05) and week 8 (148/97 to 134/98, p<0.05). Sitting diastolic b lood pressure was significantly reduced in the placebo group at week 8 (94 to 88, p<0.05). There was no difference in percentage change of s itting systolic and diastolic pressures at week 8 comparing the placeb o group (-6.4% and -6.3%, respectively) and the fish oil group (-8.8% and -6.6%, respectively). Triglyceride levels (-40.9%, p<0.05) and pla telet counts (-8.7%, p<0.05) were significantly reduced at 4 weeks, an d low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels were significantly increased both at 4 and 8 weeks (13.5% and 19.1%, respectively) in the fish oil group. Conclusion. Adjunctive fish oil supplementation did n ot substantially augment blood pressure lowering in treated hypertensi ve men with suboptimally controlled blood pressure. Effects on plasma lipid values were mixed, with an increase in LDL cholesterol and a dec rease in plasma triglyceride levels.