The deep-sea solution to soaring blood pressure

It really is an exciting time in the field of complementary medicine.

For one thing, we’re finally armed with the kind of hard scientific evidence the medical establishment never thought we would have behind us. And to top it off, our nutritional supplements are performing as well as prescription drugs in many head-to-head battles.

Of course, it’s not something you’re likely to see on TV — or even in the paper. But I live to prove all those backward-thinking detractors wrong. So you can always count on me to bring you the latest, greatest news.

Like these stunning results from a recent clinical trial on the incredible benefits of fish oil.

It’s not just any old trial, either. We’re talking about a randomized, controlled clinical trial. The gold standard of scientific evidence. A study with the kind of conclusive results that the powers-that-be don’t think supplements are capable of delivering.

Well, get this: As part of this eight-week trial, a team of UK researchers from the University of East Anglia recruited more than 300 healthy men and women. Their ages spanned from 20 to 70.

Each subject was assigned to one of two different groups. One group took supplements featuring up to 1,800 mg of omega-3s daily for eight weeks. The other group took a placebo made from palm oil and soybean oil.

Researchers assessed the participants’ blood pressure — among other key measures of heart health — at both the beginning and end of the study period.

And wouldn’t you know? After just eight weeks, subjects taking fish oil benefited from significant drops in blood pressure. In fact, systolic blood pressure (the top number) dropped by five whole points on average. Enough to cut heart disease risk by a whopping 20 percent.

What’s more, even smaller doses did the trick. Researchers noted benefits among subjects taking as little as 700 mg of omega-3s per day.

Needless to say, this is a huge finding. One that far surpasses any results from any cardiac med — bar none.

So why isn’t every cardiologist recommending fish oil to their patients? That’s what I would really like to know.

Especially when you consider the size of our country’s blood pressure problem. A third of all adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure — upwards of 70 million people. And less than half of these people are getting treatment of any kind.

That’s a huge portion of the population, living at elevated risk of heart attack and stroke. So it’s no wonder we spend tens of billions of dollars every year trying to stamp out the fires this situation creates.

Of course, we’d spend a lot less — and be a lot healthier — if people just started taking a simple fish oil supplement every day. Something I could have told you even before this new study came out.

Current U.S. guidelines recommend 500 mg of EPA/DHA daily for healthy people to stay healthy. And 1,000 mg daily to patients actively battling heart disease. This research certainly supports that advice. And it’s a thrilling testament to how even a little bit of EPA/DHA can go a very long way.

But it doesn’t change the fact that most research to date reveals an omega-3 “sweet spot” that’s considerably higher than standard recommendations. (What else is new?)

The majority of the randomized, controlled trials out there use daily doses in the ballpark of 3,000 mg of EPA/DHA daily. And it just so happens that this is my standard recommendation. To everyone, every day.

You can get your 3,000 mg per day from food or high quality supplements. But be aware that your typical 3-ounce serving of salmon only contains around 2,000 mg of omega-3s.

So unless you’re eating a hearty fish dinner every single night — and I don’t know too many people who are — you’re likely to need a little extra help in the form of a quality fish oil supplement to meet your quota.

In the meantime, for more natural ways to lower your blood pressure and keep your heart healthy, check out my special report The World’s Easiest Heart Disease Cure.

Source:

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Small-fish-oil-doses-enough-to-lower-blood-pressure-RCT


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