A low-fat source of quality protein, fish is considered an important part of a healthy diet. Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and herring are abundant in omega-3 fatty acids – for which mounting evidence suggests a diverse array of health effects. Stefan H. Heinemann, from Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany), and colleagues studied the molecular mechanisms that underlie the capacity for omega-3s to lower blood pressure. The team showed that the ‘SLO1’ potassium channel is an important component in the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acids, acting like very specific receptors for omega-3 compounds such as docosahexaeonic acid (DHA).Employing a laboratory animal model, the researchers assessed the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on SLO1 channels of the cardiovascular system, finding that the administration of DHA resulted in an expansion of the blood vessels and consequently a drop in blood pressure. As well, in genetically modified mice however, which were not able to produce the SLO1 channel, the antihypertensive impact of DHA failed to appear.
Fish Lowers Blood Pressure
Toshinori Hoshi, Bianka Wissuwa, Yutao Tian, Nobuyoshi Tajima, Rong Xu, Michael Bauer, Stefan H. Heinemann, Shangwei Hou. “Omega-3 fatty acids lower blood pressure by directly activating large-conductance Ca2+-dependent K+ channels.” PNAS, March 4, 2013. Toshinori Hoshi, Yutao Tian, Rong Xu, Stefan H. Heinemann, Shangwei Hou. “Mechanism of the modulation of BK potassium channel complexes with different auxiliary subunit compositions by the omega-3 fatty acid DHA.” PNAS, March 4, 2013.
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