Omega-3s have long been known for their heart health benefits, but few studies have investigated their impact on those with hypertension.
Researchers of this study looked at the diets of almost 27,000 adults with hypertension to see how many omega-3 fats they were consuming from both foods and supplements.
At the end of the study, they measured both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (any death or death specific to heart conditions).
And sure enough, eating more omega-3 fats was linked to a significantly lower risk of both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. For heart disease in particular, the risk was estimated to be 32% to 47% lower for those who ate more omega-3s.
What’s most impressive is that this relationship was significantly beneficial when looking at the intake of just one type of omega-3 fat. (As a reminder, there are three kinds: EPA and DHA are two types of omega-3s found in fatty fish and ALA is a plant-based omega-3 found in nuts and seeds.) So people with hypertension who consumed more EPA, DHA, and ALA had a 13%, 14%, and 11% (respectively) lower risk of cardiovascular mortality.
In this study, high ALA intake was defined as 1.2 to 1.6 grams daily, whereas high levels of EPA and DHA intake were deemed to be 250 milligrams.
Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN
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