title: Polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and blood pressure in adolescents.
abstract: Evidence that intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may modify blood pressure (BP) is generally limited to middle-aged or hypertensive populations. This study examined cross-sectional associations between BP and dietary intake of PUFAs in 814 adolescents aged 13-15 years participating in the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. Fatty acid intakes were assessed using 3-day diet records and resting BP was determined using multiple oscillometric readings. In multivariate regression models, systolic BP was inversely associated with intakes of polyunsaturated (b=-0.436, P<0.01), omega-3 (b=-2.47, P=0.02), omega-6 (b=-0.362, P=0.04) and long chain omega-3 fatty acids (b=-4.37, P=0.04) in boys. Diastolic BP and mean arterial pressure were inversely associated with intakes of long chain omega-3 fatty acids in boys (b=-3.93, P=0.01, b=-4.05, P=0.01, respectively). For specific long-chain omega-3s, significant inverse associations were observed between eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid, such as systolic BP decreasing by 4.7 mm Hg (95% CI -9.3 to -0.1) for a quarter gram increase in EPA, but no significant associations were observed with docosapentaenoic acid. No significant associations were observed in girls, or with the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Our results suggest that gender may moderate relationships between fatty acid intake and BP in adolescence.
authors.affiliation: Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, West Perth, Western Australia, Australia. t.osullivan@ecu.edu.au
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Bremner
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Beilin
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Ambrosini
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Oddy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015930:Diet Records; D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000502:physiology; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000502:physiology; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D014904:Western Australia
chemical_list: D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated