Science / Medicine : Fish Oil Helps Blood Pressure

High doses of fish oil appear to lower high blood pressure, possibly offering a way to decrease the risk of suffering a heart attack and stroke for 60 million Americans, researchers report.

The researchers cautioned, however, against taking high doses of fish oil to treat high blood pressure until more research is conducted to confirm its effectiveness and safety.

“Fish oil really has effects in lowering high blood pressure,” said Dr. Howard Knapp, an assistant professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. “But we are not recommending fish oil as a treatment of hypertension.”

Knapp published a study in the New England Journal of Medicine in which he found that among 32 men with mild high blood pressure, those who took daily high doses of fish oil for a month had lower blood pressure.

Dr. John LaRosa of the American Heart Assn. said the results were interesting but the study was too small to be conclusive.