Highlights
- Including a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish, nuts and seeds reduces symptoms of lupus erythematosus.
- Increasing omega-6 to omega-3 ratios in the diet were associated with lupus erythematosus disease activity.
- SLE patients suffer from symptoms such as poor sleep, fatigue and depression which can be reduced with omega 3 fats. Higher intake of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids was associated with better sleep quality and a decrease in depressive symptoms in lupus patients. Omega fatty acids have an effect on inflammation in the body, with omega-3 fatty acids generally acting as an anti-inflammatory and omega-6 fatty acids acting as a pro-inflammatory.
- Prae Charoenwoodhipong et al., Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acid intake may affect lupus outcomes. ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting (2017).
Omega 3 Fatty Acids - Health Benefits Food Supplements
Our body derives omega 3 fatty acids from the food we eat. Here’s a list of foods rich in omega 3s and how they help in the various body functions and protect our health.
Our body derives omega 3 fatty acids from the food we eat. Here’s a list of foods rich in omega 3s and how they help in the various body functions and protect our health.
‘Eating more foods that are high in omega-3 and avoiding a lot of foods that are high in omega-6 could be a low-toxicity intervention that is easily available for SLE patients to help address pain and inflammation.’
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Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and fish oil supplements are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids which can block a known trigger of lupus. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
Lupus is a chronic (long-term) inflammatory autoimmune disease in which an unknown trigger causes the body's immune system to attack its own healthy tissues. The most common type of lupus is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a complex, multiple symptom disease that can cause inflammation, pain and damage to various parts of the body.
Anti-Inflammatory Diet | Top Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Healthy foods as part of anti-inflammatory diet to fight inflammation are basic components of the Mediterranean diet.
Healthy foods as part of anti-inflammatory diet to fight inflammation are basic components of the Mediterranean diet.
While anyone can develop lupus, it occurs 9-10 times more often in women than in men, and is 2-3 times more common among women of color.
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Some fish are contaminated with high levels of methyl mercury. Methyl mercury is a neurotoxin, which affects the pregnant or lactating mother’s child’s brain.
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While small studies show an association between omega-3 supplementation and reduced disease activity in lupus patients a research team at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor examined their impact on patient-reported outcomes, or PROs. They performed a population-based, cross-sectional study to look for a possible association between dietary intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and PROs in lupus patients. Data from the Michigan Lupus Epidemiology & Surveillance (MILES) program was used.
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Salmon is rich in proteins and fatty acids. Find out more about its health benefits, cooking techniques and delicious recipes.
Salmon is rich in proteins and fatty acids. Find out more about its health benefits, cooking techniques and delicious recipes.
"Also, very few studies have looked at the impact of omega-6, an inflammatory fatty acid that is very common in U.S. diets. According to rheumatologists I've worked with, patients with SLE are always asking about what they might be able to do with supplements or their diet to help improve their health."
The MILES program includes SLE patient cases from southeast Michigan. The researchers collected data on dietary intake of omega fatty acids at baseline using questions from the National Cancer Institute's Diet History Questionnaire.
Patient-reported outcome data included the Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire (SLAQ), RAND 36 Healthy Survey, Fibromyalgia (FM) Scale, PROMIS Sleep Disturbance (short form 8b) and PROMIS Depression. The researchers also made adjustments for covariates like age, sex, race, energy intake and body-mass index in their analysis of the association between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and patient-reported outcomes.
For the study, 456 out of 462 SLE patients enrolled in the program completed the dietary questionnaires at baseline. Of these, 425 were female, 207 were black, and the mean age of the participants was 52.9 years. After controlling for covariates, they found that increasing omega-6 to omega-3 ratios in the diet was associated with SLE disease activity.
Intake of omega-3 fatty acids was also significantly associated with better sleep quality and trended toward significant decreases in depressive symptoms and the presence of comorbid fibromyalgia. The researchers did not observe any associations between fatty acid intake and general health-related quality of life measures.
"Many SLE patients suffer from symptoms such as poor sleep, fatigue, and depression," said Charoenwoodhipong. "While current treatments have been wonderful at addressing pain, we haven't been able to offer therapies that really help with these other symptoms.”
"Recommending daily servings of fatty fish, nuts and seeds that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids are consistent with the USDA guidance on healthy goals for all Americans. So, it seems reasonable that rheumatologists could be giving out this advice to their patients."
According to Charoenwoodhipong, this study is a first step in helping rheumatologists better understand the role of diet in SLE management and future studies should investigate whether omega-3-rich foods could help manage symptoms in lupus patients, as well as to identify other nutrients that may be beneficial, such as vitamins A, C or E.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
There are several types of omega 3 fatty acids, but three of them are crucial – ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
ALA is primarily found in vegetables and vegetable oils such as Brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, salad greens, and oils such as soybean, rapeseed (canola), and flaxseed, and in walnuts. The body partially converts ALA to EPA and DHA.
DHA is essential for the development of the brain, nerve and eye tissue, especially in infants, so DHA is abundantly found in breast milk. Fatty fish are rich sources of DHA.
Reference
Source-Medindia
