Studies on the effect of dietary fat on blood pressure.

The role of dietary fat in the origin of human hypertension has aroused interest recently. Results from five intervention studies and from a cross-sectional international study are presented. Three of the intervention studies were carried out in Beltsville, Maryland, USA, and two were carried out in North Karelia, Finland. All the studies involved healthy people and diets typical of the areas concerned. During the experimental periods the diets were modified in such a way that the energy percentage from fats was lowered and the P/S ratio raised. Energy and salt intake were kept constant. The results showed that the blood pressure levels were consistently changed using various dietary fat modifications. The results give strong support to the hypothesis that dietary fat is associated with blood pressure.