What is the relationship between blood pressure and omega 3?

30% of the population over 18 years old in Iran suffer from high blood pressure. To treat high blood pressure, it is usually recommended to change lifestyle, reduce salt intake and use some medicines. Have you ever heard about blood pressure and omega 3? Omega 3 refers to essential fatty acids for the body that the human body cannot produce. In this article, we will talk about the effect of omega-3 on lowering blood pressure.

What is meant by high blood pressure?

High blood pressure is a common disease that affects the blood vessels of the body. High blood pressure means that the force of blood pressure on the walls of the arteries is constantly too high. In this case, the heart has to work harder to pump blood. Blood pressure is calculated in millimeters of mercury. In general, blood pressure of 80.130 mmHg or more is considered high.

Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms. But some people may have the following symptoms:

• Headache
• Shortness of breath
• nose bleeding

These symptoms are usually not seen until the blood pressure is very high. Now let’s see what is the relationship between blood pressure and omega 3?

What is Omega 3?

Before examining the relationship between blood pressure and omega-3, it is better to give you more information about omega-3. Omega 3 fatty acids are a group of essential fatty acids that the human body needs for growth and proper functioning. These fatty acids are not made by the human body. Therefore, through the consumption of food, they must be supplied to the body so that there is no disturbance in the functioning of the body’s organs.

• The most important omega-3 fatty acids are: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

Omega 3 and blood pressure

Research on The effect of omega-3 on blood pressure what do they say Note these findings:

• In the research of people who consumed between 2 and 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids daily, their systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased by an average of 2 mm Hg.
• Also, systolic blood pressure decreased by an average of 5 mm Hg for people with high blood pressure and about 2 mm Hg for people without hypertension.

How much omega-3 should we eat to lower blood pressure?

Omega-3 levels and blood pressure are directly related. In order to reduce blood pressure, researchers recommend consuming 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids daily. However, the exact amount of omega-3 consumption to reduce blood pressure has not been officially stated in any source. Depending on factors such as age and sex, adults should consume between 1.1 and 1.6 grams of omega-3 daily.

In most sources, the same amount of 3 grams of omega 3 per day is recommended to reduce blood pressure. In this case, the risk of coronary heart disease is reduced; Especially among people who have already been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Of course, more research is still needed on the relationship between blood pressure and omega-3.

Sources of omega-3 to lower blood pressure

Fish are the best sources of omega-3. Salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, anchovies, and cod liver oil are among the best sources of omega-3 in seafood. Rich sources of omega-3 can be found in seeds such as flax and chia and nuts such as walnuts. In general, it is recommended to use fish at least 3 times a week so that the level of omega-3 in the body does not decrease.

If you think you are not getting enough omega-3 sources in your diet, you can go for omega-3 supplements. Omega 3 tablets are available in different brands in pharmacies. If you are planning to use omega-3 capsules to reduce blood pressure, try to consult your doctor before starting to take this supplement to determine the exact dosage for you.

Some important points about omega 3 supplements

We explained the relationship between blood pressure and omega 3. Go for supplements that contain omega-3 only if the level of omega-3 fatty acids in your body is really low. Pay attention to the following points:

• The concentration of DHA and EPA in the desired supplement should be at the appropriate level.
• Check that the supplement is made from high-quality fish. It is stated on the specifications of some omega-3 supplements that they are mercury-free. It is better to choose omega three supplements among these types of supplements.
• To reduce blood pressure or for any other purpose you intend to take omega-3 pills, make sure to start with low doses to see how your body reacts. That is, don’t start consuming 3 grams of omega-3 daily and increase the dosage little by little.

Warning about taking omega-3 for blood pressure

We said that blood pressure and omega-3 can be related. However, the amount of consumption of this nutrient composition and other points should be paid attention to. Daily consumption of 3 grams of omega-3 is safe and completely safe for the general public. But if you have high blood pressure and are taking blood thinners, high intake of omega-3 can lead to blood thinning.

Blood thinning can be dangerous and lead to bleeding and bruising. Therefore, if you have high blood pressure, you should never use omega-3 supplements on your own because it may interfere with your previous medications. Be sure to consult your doctor before starting to take omega-3.

What are the plant sources of omega 3?

Now that you know the relationship between blood pressure and omega-3, you may ask as a vegetarian, what are the plant sources of omega-3? Although fatty fish such as salmon and tuna are the best sources of omega-3, you can also find omega-3 in plant sources. Also, some people may not be able to use fish oil supplements due to allergies and look for omega-3 plant sources. In this case, we suggest you to use the following nuts and seeds:

• walnut
• Chia seeds
• Flax seed
• Algae

A final word about blood pressure and omega-3

In this article, we talked about blood pressure and omega-3. Omega-3 consumption at appropriate levels can reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure, but more research is still needed in this field. So, don’t take omega-3 pills arbitrarily with the aim of reducing blood pressure. If you are taking a certain medicine for blood pressure, be sure to consult your doctor before taking omega-3 tablets so that there is no drug interaction. Omega 3 supplement without mercury It is a very good option to provide omega 3 for the body.