The relationship between omega‐3 fatty acids and blood pressure

Abstract

Omega‐3 fatty acids are a group of polyunsaturated fatty acids that play a critical role in the human body. The three main types of omega‐3 fatty acids are alpha‐linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. This review describes characteristics of omega‐3 fatty acids and their ability to reduce blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health.

Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids alter the number, fatty acid profile and coagulatory activity of circulating and platelet-derived extracellular vesicles: a randomized, controlled crossover trial

“…A significant reduction in plasma TAG concentration is a hallmark of fish oil supplementation [ 31 ] and the confirmatory results in this study therefore demonstrate the efficacy of the intervention and overall compliance of the subjects. The effect of n-3 PUFA supplementation on blood pressure is also broadly in agreement with published literature [ 32 ] and has been explained by an improvement in endothelial function in response to reduced systemic vascular resistance [ 33 ] and the vasodilatory effects of eicosanoids, whose metabolism is altered when synthesized from EPA and DHA [ 34 ]. The LDL-C raising effect of n-3 PUFAs has been known for some time [ 32 ] and is suggested to be due to an increase in particle size, mainly due to DHA, which reduces atherogenicity, and is therefore not necessarily detrimental [ 35 ].…”

EPA-Enriched Phospholipids Alleviate Renal Interstitial Fibrosis in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats by Regulating TGF-β Signaling Pathways

“…At present, there are still inconsistent views on the hypotensive effect of EPA in clinical studies. On the one hand, numerous studies have reported that EPA treatment has a strong antihypertensive effect; on the other hand, some research indicates that EPA intervention has no significant effect on blood pressure [9,53]. Moreover, new research shows that EPA treatment minimizes inflammation and oxidative stress in rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the effects of which were associated with less glomerular sclerosis and less interstitial fibrosis; however, EPA supplementation was unable to decrease the abnormally elevated blood systolic pressure in diabetic rats [54].…”

“…Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), as an omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω-3 PUFA), is widely distributed in the body of multifarious marine products. Notably, EPA exhibits many important physiological activities, which has been considered by investigators to be beneficial in the prevention or treatment of several diseases, such as alleviating cardiovascular disease, improving cognitive function, and lowering blood pressure [9][10][11]. EPA is mainly sold as ω-3 PUFA supplements in a concentrated form as ethyl esters (EE) or triacylglycerol (TG).…”

“…Moreover, EPA-PL had a significant therapeutic effect against vancomycin-induced acute kidney injury [15]. Furthermore, dietary EPA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) had a positive antihypertensive effect through the regulation of the renin-angiotensin system in rats with hypertension [7,9,11]. However, the true effects of EPA-PL on hypertension and hypertensive-induced renal interstitial fibrosis have still not been uncovered.…”