Dietary linoleic acid and salt-induced hypertension.

Male Wistar rats chronically fed a low level (0.41%) of linoleic acid (LA) in the diet as supplied by 5% olive oil developed a significant elevation of systolic blood pressure as compared with rats fed either a medium (4.2%) or high (9.4%) level of dietary LA. Chronic excess intake of NaCl (3.75% in the diet) was associated with a significant elevation of blood pressure on all three diets but a low level of LA in the diet exaggerated the salt-induced hypertension. The results suggest that inadequate dietary LA may result in an increase in systolic blood pressure regardless of the sodium content of the diet.