The cumulative dose response effect of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid on blood pressure, plasma lipid profile and diet pattern in mild to moderate essential hypertensive black patients

In this study eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were given in a cumulative manner, every 6 weeks, starting with 10 mg, then 100 mg, 1000 mg and 10,000 mg EPA daily to mild to moderate essential hypertensive black patients. The corresponding DHA doses were 3, 33, 333 and 3333 mg. A control group was given olive oil as placebo for the entire 24 weeks. The placebo group had lower diastolic and systolic blood pressures after 24 weeks than the EPA and DHA group. No effect was seen on plasma triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase at any stage of the trial. In the EPA group plasma free-EPA increased significantly from 1000 mg onwards and plasma free-arachidonic acid (AA) decreased after 1000 mg EPA. No other plasma free essential fatty acid changed during the trial, although the HDL:cholesterol increased slightly but non-significantly with an increase in EPA and DHA. No significant changes in diet pattern or body mass was observed. It is therefore concluded that EPA and DHA supplementation had no beneficial effects in mild to moderate essential hypertensive black patients except for a lowering of plasma AA.