Omega-3: a valuable support for blood pressure

Omega 3s are effective ingredients in supplements against high blood pressure. Strong enough scientific evidence says so that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) decided to approve the claim that EPA and DHA (the marine-derived Omega 3s) help keep blood pressure in the normal range - on one condition: that they provide sufficiently high doses. Let's find out how to lower blood pressure naturally with these polyunsaturated fats that are allies of cardiovascular health.

There is no shortage of hypertension medications, but there is also no shortage of people looking for perceived more natural alternatives. The answer to their demands could come from blood pressure-lowering supplements, and the ingredients in these products could be Omega 3s.

In fact, in addition to promoting good heart function and helping to keep triglyceride levels in the normal range, Omega 3s contained fish or in supplements made from marine oils ( fish, cod liver, krill and microalgae) also exert another benefit toward cardiovascular health: they are able to lower blood pressure.

According to a meta-analysis conducted by experts from the Center for Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Computational Biology at Exponent in Chicago and Boulder and Van Elswyk Consulting in Longmont, U.S., published in the American Journal of Hypertension, the magnitude of this effect is equal to or even greater than that achievable when reducing alcohol and salt consumption and increasing physical activity, and daily consumption of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid)-the two biologically active Omega 3s in which fish and marine-derived oils are rich-could help limit the use of blood pressure control medications.

Hypertension: often due to incorrect lifestyles

According to data reported by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, high blood pressure (or hypertension) affects 50 percent of men and 40 percent of women in the 35-74 age group in Italy.

In most cases it is due to unhealthy lifestyles characterized by unhealthy factors including poor diet, alcohol abuse, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and stress.

In and of itself, it does not cause noticeable discomfort; only rarely, especially if it is a long-standing problem, can the symptoms of high blood pressure include headaches, vision changes, epistaxis (nosebleed), breathlessness and dizziness.

In any case, living with this silent enemy increases the risks to cardiovascular health. The likelihood of developing coronary artery disease, heart failure, and serious events such as stroke and heart attack increases, but that's not all: the kidneys and eyes can also take the brunt of too high a blood pressure.

Hypertension: when to worry

The value of pressure is given by systolic and diastolic pressure. The former is measured at the time the heart contracts and pumps blood into the arteries, the latter as the heart relaxes and fills with blood. 

A blood pressure that exceeds 140 mmHg for systolic and 90 mmHg for diastolic is considered high; according to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) values between 130-139 mmHg and 85-89 mmHg, respectively, configure a normal-high blood pressure picture.

The optimal situation is when systolic blood pressure remains below 120 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure is below 80 mmHg.

Seeking medical advice is important in all cases in which you fear that you have high blood pressure or if, in the case of already diagnosed hypertension, the rare symptoms mentioned above should appear; should the diagnosis be confirmed, the first indications you will receive concern the need to change your lifestyle.

Depending on the situation found, the doctor may also decide to start drug therapy immediately. However, the possibility of using dietary supplements to control blood pressure should not be ruled out either.

Omega 3 in blood pressure supplements: major effects on hypertensive patients

The meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Hypertension looked at 70 clinical trials conducted on adults who received EPA + DHA in supplement form or by consuming fish for more than 3 weeks and on adults who received a placebo; some of the subjects involved suffered from high blood pressure but were not taking medication, while others had normal blood pressure. 

Compared with taking a placebo, consumption of EPA and DHA caused an average decrease of 1.52 mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 0.99 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure. The most significant effects were observed in hypertensive adults, in whom the average decrease was 4.51 mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 3.05 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure; however, normotensive people also benefited from Omega 3 intake, showing a decrease of 1.25 mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 0.62 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure. 

Focusing, then, on the studies alone that had included dietary Omega 3 supplements to reduce blood pressure, the authors of the meta-analysis showed a reduction of 1.75 mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 1.11 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure.

As mentioned, the results observed in hypertensive patients proved to be the same, if not greater in some cases, than the effects of an appropriate lifestyle; in fact, previous studies had shown that systolic blood pressure decreases:

- By 3.6 mmHg by reducing salt consumption;
- By 4.6 mmHg by increasing physical activity;
- by 3.9 mmHg by reducing alcohol consumption.

These findings have important clinical relevance: for every 2 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure, the risk of mortality from cardiac ischemia or stroke increases by 7% and 10%, respectively.

How do EPA and DHA reduce blood pressure?

According to the researchers, the effect of Omega 3 on blood pressure would be due to their ability to regulate the functions of the endothelium, which is the thin layer of cells that lines the inside of blood vessels. 

This tissue plays a central role in blood pressure regulation, and there is no shortage of studies showing improved endothelial function in response to EPA and DHA in subjects with hypertension and at risk for cardiovascular disease. 

Dietary supplements and blood pressure: how much Omega 3? 

Taken together, the data analyzed by the U.S. researchers indicate that taking at least 2 g of EPA + DHA per day can reduce blood pressure with greater benefits among hypertensive individuals who do not use antihypertensive drugs; a lower dose (between 1 and 2 g per day) could, on the other hand, reduce systolic but not diastolic blood pressure. 

According to EFSA guidance, however, the dose of Omega 3 to be taken with supplements to lower blood pressure is higher, and the claim of the supplements' ability to lower blood pressure should be coupled with information about the need to take 3 g per day of EPA and DHA.

What if you want to lower blood pressure and cholesterol simultaneously with the supplements? Omega 3s can be combined with other active ingredients with cholesterol-lowering effects documented by scientific studies, such as the dry extract of artichoke found in Cardiol® Forte.

Bibliographic references:

European Commission. Food and Feed Information Portal Database. Last viewed: 17/06/25

National Institute of Health. ISShealth. Hypertension or high blood pressure. Last viewed: 6/17/25

NutraIngredients USA. https://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Article/2014/03/07/Significant-clinical-impact-Meta-analysis-finds-omega-3s-equal-lifestyle-changes-for-blood-pressure-benefits/

Paige E. Miller,Mary Van Elswyk, and Dominik D. Alexander . "Long-Chain Omega-3 Fatty Acids Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid and Blood Pressure: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. "Am J Hypertens (2014) doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpu024

Koshy A et al. Controlled hypertension: a forgotten diagnosis. Br J Cardiol 2017;24:127. doi:10.5837/bjc.2017.029