Besides helping to shield your body from certain types of cancer, obesity or diabetes, fish oil has also been found to significantly ease high blood pressure.
Increased blood pressure is associated with high blood cholesterol, uncontrolled blood sugar levels, obesity and heart attacks hence the need to control hypertension as effectively and efficiently as possible.
And a leading medical organization in the United States has now conducted studies that lead the researchers to conclude that fish oil can be highly effective in controlling hypertension.
Your grandmother always told you that fish oil was good for you. Now research agrees that in addition to many other benefits, fish oil for blood pressure is a real option.
So Why Fish Oil?
Essential fatty acids are a category of nutrients that are vital for a healthy and proper functioning body. They are not produced in sufficient quantities by the body, which is why these fatty acids have to be provided to the body through a regular dietary intake.
Certain types of fish oil are the richest source of healthy omega 3 for humans. And due to our polluted oceans, properly filtered fish oil capsules are now considered one of the safest and most reliable ways to get sufficient quantities of omega 3.
Are all fish oil tablets the same? Far from it actually. Only the larger cold water fish contain high quantities of omega 3, so where the oil comes from and how it has been manufactured makes a big difference. So buying a high quality properly filtered fish oil is important.
Omega 3 and Blood Pressure
Researchers belonging to various universities in Australia conducted studies on a large sample group of around 64 adults.
These people were randomly divided into four distinct groups and each group was given a varied diet that differed in the amount of omega 3 fatty acids that was incorporated into the meals. The quality of the food served and the physical exercise each was exposed to were all constant.
16 weeks into the diet, it was observed that the groups that were given substantial or high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids had recorded an impressive drop in systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements, as well as a note-worthy drop in body weight.
The use of fish oil for blood pressure management is a practice that is increasingly being encouraged by physicians in many different countries. It has also been observed that diets rich in fish or fish oil supplements, coupled with proper exercise, reduced excess weight and reduced cardiovascular diseases in those suffering from high blood pressure or obesity.
Fish oil capsules are now being used as a great way to tackle high blood pressure.
How Does Fish Oil Lower Blood Pressue?
Fish oil pills are rich in omega 3 fatty acids and these acids relax blood vessels, which then decrease blood pressure in patients.
Reducing your susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmia, decreasing platelet accumulation, reducing triglyceride levels, reducing atherosclerosis, lowering blood pressure, promoting nitric oxide induced endothelial relaxation and controlling inflammation are some of the vital medical effects that regular consumption of fish oil pills can provide.
Medication vs. Supplements
A medical school in Maryland conducted 17 clinical trials to arrive at the conclusion that the consumption of 3 grams of fish oil per day notably reduced hypertension in the people taking part in the studies. Systolic pressure was observed to have been lowered by an average of 5.5 mm Hg and diastolic pressure was noticed to be lowered by 3.5 mm Hg.
Blood pressure medication tends to have unfavorable side effects on a person where of course fish oil supplements generally don’t (in fact they potentially offer a wide range of additional health benefits intead!).
So talk to your doctor about the latest research, and discuss what they think would be the best way forward for you.
Final Note On Fish Oil For Blood Pressure
As we discussed, it is important to choose fish oil products carefully as not all fish oil is the same (see What is the most healthy fish? for more).
But make sure you look for a properly filtered product (to remove any toxins such as mercury), but also one that is high in DHA. This is a component of omega 3, but is actually what gives most of the clinical benefits studies have seen so far. So look for fish oil capsules with a high DHA quantity.
If the bottle doesn’t tell you how much DHA there is, then it probably means not much at all! The capsules I use state on the bottle that they contain 600 mg of DHA per serving. So you know exactly what you’re getting.
