According to a study from the University of Florida (USA), people who have a high intake of omega-3 in their food are less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory disease of the joints caused by a disruption of the immune system. The body becomes intolerant of its own cells.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers asked a group of 30 people with rheumatoid arthritis antibodies about their omega-3 intake and compared their responses with a group of 47 people who had no antibodies. “We wanted to know if patients with better omega-3 intake had a lower risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. This showed us that omega-3s are effective in blocking antibodies before symptoms appear.” said Prof. Michael Clare-Salzler, president of the Center for Immunology and Transplantation at the University of Florida.
Only 6.7% of patients with antibodies reported take an omega-3 supplement, compared to 34.4% in the control group. In addition, blood tests showed that patients with antibodies for rheumatoid arthritis were “significantly more likely” to have much lower omega-3 levels than others.
This study is the first to link the consumption of omega-3 and the non-occurrence of polyarthritis in patients at risk. Doctors are now hoping to secure funding to follow a larger group of patients over a longer period of time, to see how the disease progresses with a omega-3 enriched diet.
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A blog dedicated to rheumatoid arthritis