According to the results of a study conducted by researchers from the United Kingdom, a moderate increase in daily intake of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can lower diastolic blood pressure in healthy men and women. The results of this study were published in the April issue of The Journal of Nutrition.
The researchers—from King’s College, London; University of Leicester, Leicester, England; Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, Scotland; and Unilever Corporate Research, Sharnbrook, England—conducted a trial where participants (38 healthy men and women, aged 40 to 65) were given either 0.7 grams DHA per day or a placebo. The researchers then analyzed the effects on vascular function and biochemical indices of endothelial dysfunction. They note that each treatment phase lasted three months, with each study period separated by a four months without supplementation.
Although DHA supplementation did not affect endothelial function or arterial stiffness in the short term, results showed that subjects consuming the DHA supplement lowered their diastolic blood pressure, as well as their heart rate. These results led the researchers to suggest that a moderate increase in the daily intake of DHA can help lower diastolic blood pressure.
