Fish oil as an adjuvant in the treatment of hypertension
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on blood pressure control and lipid levels.
DESIGN: Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study.
SETTING: Veterans Affairs Medical Center teaching hospital.
PATIENTS: Twenty-one men whose blood pressure was not optimally controlled with antihypertensive agents, who met the inclusion criteria.
INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized to receive either fish oil (4.5 g omega-3 fatty acids/day) or placebo.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Blood pressure readings were taken at baseline, and 4 and 8 weeks. Sitting systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly reduced in the fish oil group at both week 4 (148/97 to 132/90, p <0.05) and week 8 (148/97 to 134/91, p <0.05). Sitting diastolic blood 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 sitting systolic and diastolic pressures at week 8 comparing the placebo 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 platelet counts (-8.7%, p <0.05) were significantly reduced at 4 weeks, and 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 not substantially augment blood pressure lowering in treated hypertensive men with suboptimally…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.
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