According to a study by 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 due to a dysregulation of the immune system. The body becomes intolerant to its own cells.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers questioned a group of 30 people with rheumatoid arthritis antibodies about their consumption of omega-3s and compared their answers with a group of 47 people who had no antibodies. “We wanted to find out if patients with a higher intake of omega-3s had a lower risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. This allowed us to find 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 establish a link between the consumption of omega-3 and the non-appearance 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.
Read also :
The right diet for rheumatoid arthritis
Polyarthritis: a healthy lifestyle to limit attacks
A blog dedicated to rheumatoid arthritis
