Supplementation with DHA or docosahexaenoic acid, a Omega 3 could prevent the appearance of lupus, an inflammatory autoimmune disease, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal PLoS ONE. These conclusions were obtained in the laboratory on mice.
Researchers at the University of Michigan in the United States carried out an experiment with rodents. They observed the consequences of DHA intake on the lungs and kidneys of female mice affected by lupus. DHA is produced by the algae that fish eat and store in their bodies. It can be found in fish oil supplements, in the fat of cold water fish, and in canola or walnut oil.
Omega-3s provide extremely effective protection for the lungs
The study’s findings showed that the majority (96%) of lung damage after exposure to silica, a disease-triggering mineral, was stopped.
“We discovered that when lupus was triggered by crystalline silica, a toxic mineral also known as quartz which is linked to human autoimmunity, DHA blocks the activation of the disease,” explained Melissa Bates, doctoral student in the Department of Food Sciences and Human Nutrition and the Institute for Integrative Toxicology at the University of Michigan and co-author of the study.
“Eighty-six percent of lung damage was stopped with DHA after being triggered by silica,” said Jack Harkema, lung pathologist and co-author of the study. “I have never seen such a spectacular protective lung response before.”
A new therapeutic voice to prevent lupu
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While the results of this study are encouraging, researchers must conduct new studies to understand the process that is taking place.
“DHA, by sending an anti-inflammatory signal to the body, could change the way these cells can react to the presence of silica in the lungs and thus somehow change the response of the immune system. Another hypothesis consists in believing that DHA allows cells to absorb and disintegrate silica without dying, and thus to prevent the inflammatory response ”, conclude the authors.
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