The heart health benefits of an increased intake of the essential fatty acids known as omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil are now well established. The American Heart Association tells each of us to increase our intake of Omega3 fats up to the minimum recommended level to reduce our risk of coronary heart disease. But let’s examine whether there is a fish oil blood pressure link, or whether, if you have high blood pressure you can lower blood pressure with fish oil.

Hypertension is the technical name for high blood pressure. Hypertension affects many of us, particularly those who are overweight, and many people rely on anti-hypertensive drugs for many years. Therefore it is possible to reduce high blood pressure with fish oil this is good news.

Studies have shown a clear link between fish oil and lowering bloodpressure. One study, of 120 subjects, split the subjects into 5 groups and supplemented their diet with varying combinations of fish or fish oil supplements, or both, or a placebo, and concluded that supplementation with omega 3 lowers blood pressure.

There are 2 principal omega 3 essential fatty acids. These are called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). A further study concluded that it is primarily the DHA which is responsible for reducing hypertension.

Overweight people have higher risks of hypertension as well as coronary heart disease and a third study examined the role of omega 3 in lowering blood pressure in overweight people. This study also concluded that fish oil could help lower blood pressure for overweight people and, when combined with an appropriate weight loss regime, would help “substantially” in lowering reliance on antihypertensive drugs for those already reliant on those drugs.

There is a wide range of health benefits from increasing your intake of omega 3 and these benefits now extend to lowering hyperension. However there are sufficient heart and health benefits from increasing your intake of omega 3 fatty acids that even those with no incidence of hypertension have a wide range of health benefits available to them from increasing fish oil intake. This includes reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease as well as increasing mental acuity and memory and reducing the risk of a range of age related diseases, and more.

The science is in on the heart benefits of increasing your intake of Omega3 fats in the American Heart Association tells us all to do this, given that over 90 percent of us have a deficient intake of omega 3. This is now more important for anyone with hypertension.

So it seems there is a clear omega 3 blood pressure link. If you increase your intake of Omega3 fats you will help lower high blood pressure and may also reduce any reliance on antihypertensive drugs.

So how do you increase your intake of Omega3 fats? You could eat more fish but fish is expensive and contaminated with mercury and for this reason the FDA tells us not to eat too much fish.

But it is perfectly adequate and indeed preferable, and very cost effective to take daily omega 3 supplements, and the best ones are contamination free, though there is a wide variation in the quality of the different brands.

To find out which Omega 3 capsules I choose to take and to give to my family visit my website.