Dietary fats, antioxidants and blood pressure

Although obesity and alcohol intake as well as dietary sodium, potassium and magnesium are the major non-genetic determinants of blood pressure levels, interest has recently been stimulated in the function of fatty acids and antioxidants in the aetiology of hypertension. In the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study both plasma ascorbic acid and serum selenium concentrations had a moderate, independent inverse association, estimated dietary intake of saturated fatty acids had a positive association and estimated dietary intake of linolenic acid had an inverse association with the mean resting blood pressure in 722 Eastern Finnish men with neither self reported hypertension nor cerebrovascular disease. Even though these cross sectional observations do not prove causality, they warrant clinical trials to verify or disprove that dietary fats and antioxidants are factors in the development of hypertension.