In a study of middle-aged adults, maintaining a diet high in linoleic acid - the main dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid found in certain plants and vegetables - seemed to lower the risk of developing high blood pressure.

"These results lend support to current recommendations for increased ingestion of polyunsaturated fatty acids from vegetable sources, instead of saturated fats from animal sources, for cardiovascular disease prevention," says Dr Katsuyuki Miura, of Shiga University of Medical Science, in Japan.

(China Daily September 12, 2008)