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News Articles
Fish Oil Linked to Lower Alzheimer’s Risk
New York Times November 14, 2006
A substance found in fish oil may be associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other dementias, researchers reported November 13, 2006. The scientists found that people with the highest blood levels of an omega-3 fatty acid called docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, were about half as likely to develop dementia as those with lower levels.
Fish Oil May Help Ease Back Pain
WebMed April 6, 2006
Fish oil supplements containing omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) might help treat neck and back pain, a new study shows. Such supplements might be "a safer alternative" to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for some patients with spine-related pain, write Joseph Maroon, MD, and Jeffrey Bost, PAC. The study doesn't prove that fish oil pills work as well as NSAIDs for back pain, notes Maroon and Bost. They call their study a "starting point" for research on omega-3 fatty acids and other non-pharmaceutical treatment alternatives for spine-related pain.
Fish Oil May Help Protect Against Retinal Degenerative Diseases
Science Daily, April 6, 2006
A invited paper published in Trends in Neuroscience by doctors at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, reports on the role that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil play in protecting cells in the retina from degenerative diseases like retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of loss of vision in those older than 65. The paper is titled, In these blinding eye diseases, photoreceptor cells (rods and cones) degenerate and die. Although this process can be triggered by many different things, one of the most significant protective factors may be the close association of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and the amount of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in them.
Omega-3s and Impaired Vision: Age Related Macular Degeneration
Fats of Life Newsletter Website
The body's highest concentration of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid found mainly in fish, is in the retina. Concentrations of DHA may be as high as 65%. Why is this molecule so important in the retina? DHA is a critical part of retinal structure. Its presence enhances the development of photoreceptors, specialized cells in the retina necessary for vision. Because omega-3s appear promising, the National Eye Institute is conducting a large clinical trial in the U.S. to see whether fish oil omega-3s in combination with high levels of antioxidant vitamins and select minerals can retard the progress of AMD in people with intermediate or advanced stages of the condition in one eye. It will be more than 5 years, however, before the study is completed.
Omega-3s and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Fats of Life Newsletter Website
Many controlled clinical studies have reported that consuming substantial amounts of fish oil leads to significant improvements in the pain, stiffness and swelling of arthritic joints. Small amounts of EPA and DHA, such as would be obtained by eating fatty fish every day, appear to have little effect. Doses of EPA and DHA in the range of 3 to 6 gm/day—about 9 to 18 “common” fish oil capsules†—have been beneficial in many arthritic patients over the course of 3 years or longer. There is usually a delay of 2 to 3 months before improvements are noticed.
Fish Oil Benefits Your Eyes: A Couple of Servings Per Week of Fish Protects From 2 Eye Problems
WebMD May 8, 2003
You probably know fish oil benefits your health. Now there's more: People who eat the most fish have the fewest eye problems. That's the finding of two studies reported at this week's meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). They show that the benefits of fish oil -- when consumed as servings of fish -- extend to two very serious eye problems including prevention of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in old age. The new studies aren’t the strongest level of scientific evidence, but they confirm the findings of previous studies that also link fish consumption with prevention of macular degeneration. A study of 681 elderly American men showed that those who ate fish twice a week had a 36 percent lower risk of macular degeneration. In the other study, which followed 2,335 Australian men and women over five years, people who ate fish just once a week reduced their risk by 40 percent.
Fish Oil Could be Answer to Lupus Symptoms
Nutra USA March 12, 2003
Fish oil has been found to greatly reduce the symptoms of lupus disease, offering hope to millions of suffers with little alternative to steroid treatment. At present there is no cure for lupus. Steroids are used to reduce side-effects but cannot be administered long-term. Now researchers from the University of Ulster in Belfast report that a key way of managing lupus may be through diet.
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