Executive Summary

Supplemental n-3 fatty acids "had no significant effect on blood pressure" in healthy subjects age 30-65 during a three-month period, a study in the February American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds. The controlled, multi-center trial followed 162 subjects who were placed either on a diet rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), or one rich in saturated fatty acids (SFA). The two diet groups were split in half again and given either 3.6 grams n-3 fatty acids or placebo; blood pressure was measured at baseline and at the end of the study. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased on the MUFA diet, while no significant changes occurred for those on the SFA diet. "Addition of n-3 fatty acids did not influence systolic blood pressure or diastolic blood pressure...regardless of whether they were consuming a high-fat or a low-fat diet," Birthe Rasmussen, Department of Clinical Endocrinology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, et al., conclude...