Written based on 27 research studies on PubMed, searched on 2026. nov. 11..
The claim
Posts online say that omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) helps with high blood pressure.
Where research stands
We found 263 published papers on omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) and high blood pressure. They were published between 1946 and 2026. 76 of them are studies in people. 56 of them compared people who got it with a group that did not. 94 were studies in animals, and 1 was only in cells in the lab. 43 papers are reviews that sum up other studies. 4 new studies in people are running or will start soon, say the trial registers. 2 research projects on omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) for high blood pressure are funded and still running.
- 76In people56 with a comparison group
- 94In animals
- 1Only in the lab
What the studies found
We have not summed up these studies in words yet. The most important papers are listed under Sources.
Verdict
Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) has been tested in randomised trials in people with high blood pressure.
What this means for you: A study in people is not proof that it helps you. Do not stop or change your medicines because of it. Ask your doctor before you start taking it.
Sources
- Effect of compound fish oil capsules on microvascular function in hypertensive individuals: a triple-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial.2026 · Food Funct · Randomised trial
- Effects of vitamin D, omega-3 and a simple strength exercise programme in cardiovascular disease prevention: The DO-HEALTH randomized controlled trial.2024 · J Nutr Health Aging · Randomised trial
- Effects of a Japanese Cuisine-Based Antihypertensive Diet and Fish Oil on Blood Pressure and Its Variability in Participants with Untreated Normal High Blood Pressure or Stage I Hypertension: A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Study.2022 · J Atheroscler Thromb · Randomised trial
- Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation, Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation, or a Strength-Training Exercise Program on Clinical Outcomes in Older Adults: The DO-HEALTH Randomized Clinical Trial.2020 · JAMA · Randomised trial
- Lowering effects of fish oil supplementation on proinflammatory markers in hypertension: results from a randomized controlled trial.2020 · Food Funct · Randomised trial
- A combined effect of Cavacurcumin, Eicosapentaenoic acid (Omega-3s), Astaxanthin and Gamma -linoleic acid (Omega-6) (CEAG) in healthy volunteers- a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.2020 · Clin Nutr ESPEN · Randomised trial
- Fish and omega-3 fatty acid consumption and risk of hypertension.2019 · J Hypertens · Randomised trial
- Metabolic abnormalities and low dietary Omega 3 are associated with symptom severity and worse functioning prior to the onset of psychosis: Findings from the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Studies Consortium.2019 · Schizophr Res · Randomised trial
- The intake assessment of diverse dietary patterns on childhood hypertension: alleviating the blood pressure and lipidemic factors with low-sodium seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids.2020 · Lipids Health Dis · Study in people
- Effects of Long Chain Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Brain Function in Mildly Hypertensive Older Adults.2018 · Nutrients · Study in people
- OMEGA-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS AND HYPERTENSION: A REVIEW OF VASOACTIVE MECHANISMS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE.2025 · Georgian Med News · Review
- Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and pulmonary arterial hypertension: Insights and perspectives.2024 · Eur J Clin Invest · Review
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Arterial Hypertension: Is There Any Good News?2023 · Int J Mol Sci · Review
- Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and hypertension: a review of vasodilatory mechanisms of docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid.2021 · Br J Pharmacol · Review
- Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Versatile Roles in Blood Pressure Regulation.2021 · Antioxid Redox Signal · Review
- Does omega-3 lower blood pressure?: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.2020 · Medicine (Baltimore) · Review
- Eicosapentaenoic Acid Ameliorates Cardiac Fibrosis and Tissue Inflammation in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.2022 · J Lipid Res · In animals
- Omega-3 fatty acid epoxides produced by PAF-AH2 in mast cells regulate pulmonary vascular remodeling.2022 · Nat Commun · In animals
- Eicosapentaenoic acid ameliorates pulmonary hypertension via inhibition of tyrosine kinase Fyn.2020 · J Mol Cell Cardiol · In animals
- Suppression of β1-Adrenoceptor Autoantibodies is Involved in the Antiarrhythmic Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Male and Female Hypertensive Rats.2020 · Int J Mol Sci · In animals
- Comparative Effect between Sardine Oil and Fish Oil Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Hypertension and the Membrane Composition of Adipocytes in SHR Rats.2018 · J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) · In animals
- Dietary Docosahexaenoic Acid Reduces Oscillatory Wall Shear Stress, Atherosclerosis, and Hypertension, Most Likely Mediated via an IL-1-Mediated Mechanism.2018 · J Am Heart Assoc · In animals
- Docosahexaenoic acid monoacylglyceride decreases endothelin-1 induced Ca(2+) sensitivity and proliferation in human pulmonary arteries.2012 · Am J Hypertens · In the lab
- The associations between dietary omega-6, omega-3, and omega 6 to omega 3 ratio fatty acids and hypertension risk among adults: A prospective cohort study.2025 · Clin Nutr ESPEN · Other paper
- Fish oil supplementation, genetic susceptibility and risk of new-onset hypertension.2024 · Prev Med · Other paper
- Can Omega-3 prevent the accidence of stroke: a mendelian randomization study.2024 · Hereditas · Other paper
- Decreased plasma docosahexaenoic acid concentration in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with pulmonary Hypertension: Findings from human lipidomics and transcriptomics analysis.2024 · Clin Chim Acta · Other paper
