Dietary supplementation with flaxseed oil lowers blood pressure in dyslipidaemic patients

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition 2007-10, Vol.61 (10), p.1201-1206
• Main Authors: Paschos, G.K, Magkos, F, Panagiotakos, D.B, Votteas, V, Zampelas, A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; alpha-Linolenic Acid - administration & dosage; alpha-Linolenic Acid - pharmacology; Analysis of Variance; antihypertensive effect; Arterial hypertension. Arterial hypotension; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Blood pressure; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; Chemical vapor deposition; Clinical Nutrition; Clinical outcomes; Design; Dietary Supplements; Dyslipidemias - complications; Dyslipidemias - diet therapy; Epidemiology; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - administration & dosage; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - pharmacology; Fatty Acids, Omega-6 - administration & dosage; Fatty Acids, Omega-6 - pharmacology; Flax; Flaxseed oil; Heart diseases; Humans; hyperlipidemia; Hypertension; Internal Medicine; Linoleic acid; Linoleic Acids - administration & dosage; Linoleic Acids - pharmacology; Linolenic acid; linseed oil; Linseed Oil - administration & dosage; Linseed Oil - pharmacology; long chain fatty acids; Male; mechanism of action; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; men; Metabolic Diseases; Metabolic disorders; Middle Aged; Nutrition; omega-3 fatty acids; omega-6 fatty acids; original-article; patients; Prospective Studies; Public Health; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; risk reduction; Safflower oil; Variance analysis
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602631

Objective: Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is the natural precursor of the cardioprotective long-chain n-3 fatty acids. Available data indicate a possible beneficial effect of ALA on cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the response of various CVD risk factors to increased ALA intake is not well characterized. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of increased ALA intake on blood pressure in man. Design, setting, subjects and interventions: We used a prospective, two-group, parallel-arm design to examine the effect of a 12-week dietary supplementation with flaxseed oil, rich in ALA (8 g/day), on blood pressure in middle-aged dyslipidaemic men (n=59). The diet of the control group was supplemented with safflower oil, containing the equivalent n-6 fatty acid (11 g/day linoleic acid (LA); n=28). Arterial blood pressure was measured at the beginning and at the end of the dietary intervention period. Results: Supplementation with ALA resulted in significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels compared with LA (P=0.016 and P=0.011, respectively, from analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures). Conclusions: We observed a hypotensive effect of ALA, which may constitute another mechanism accounting in part for the apparent cardioprotective effect of this n-3 fatty acid.