Fish Oil Supplements Ease Arthritis Pain

[Guest]

Fish oil supplements ease arthritis pain
NewsTarget.com


Nutritional supplements can help ease arthritis pain, according to The Lancet medical journal, and patients with rheumatoid arthritis can especially benefit from adding fish oil supplements to their diets. If you find this article interesting, be sure to also read 'Revealed: which fruit and vegetable juices alleviate arthritis pain without drugs or surgery.'

Overview:

Everyone with arthritis can benefit from eating a healthy, well balanced diet.

For example, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis seem to respond to an increased dietary intake of fish oil, while gout benefits from avoidance of alcohol and offal meats such as liver.

Dr Gail Darlington of the Epsom General Hospital in Britain, and Dr Trevor Stone of the University of Glasgow have released a major paper reviewing the diet and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

About two to three per cent of the world's population suffer from it and the disease is three times more prevalent among women than among men by a 3:1 margin.

The main symptoms are swelling of the affected joints, morning stiffness, fatigue and general malaise (feeling of discomfort).

There is considerable evidence now that rheumatoid arthritis is caused by oxidative stress and involves an excessive production of pro-inflammatory compounds.

Research has shown that supplementation with fish oils (eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA and docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) can markedly reduce pro-inflammatory compounds production, resulting in significantly less morning stiffness and painful joints in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have an abnormal fatty acid profile and a significant deficiency in certain essential fatty acids.

The level of DHA tended to be lower in synovial (joint) fluids of rheumatoid arthritis patients, but not in their blood plasma.

Studies on the effect of fish oil supplementation on eight measures of arthritis severity including the number of tender joints, number of swollen joints, extent of morning stiffness, grip strength, erythrocyte sedimentation rates, and overall global assessment of disease severity has shown improvement.

Long-term supplementation with fish oils was found to be beneficial for rheumatoid arthritis patients and may lessen their need for other rheumatoid arthritis medications.

[Thelma]

How much fish oil should I take for pain relief?

[Health Dr. 1]

Many studies suggest that most people require an intake of approximately 3-6 grams per day of fish oil to experience pain relief from Rheumatoid Arthritis and other similar conditions. In reality, the effective dose varies from person to person and could possibly even be a little less than what is mentioned above. Part of this may also depend on the amounts of EPA and DHA, specific fatty acids that are present within the oil. It is imperative that you purchase excellent-quality fish oil for your supplement that is free from PCBs, mercury, and other contaminants.

I would also strongly suggest minimizing your intake of processed commercial vegetable oils as the omega-6 fatty acids that they contain can minimize the anti-inflammatory properties of the fish oil. Also, oils such as hemp, flax, and chia also contain omega-3 fatty acids that can help to reduce inflammation. These oils need to be converted into longer-chain fatty acids in order to accomplish this task. The advantage is that it is easy to buy these oils fresh and organic without the risk of contamination. Make sure that you are supplementing with basic nutrients, especially B-vitamins, vitamin C, zinc, and magnesium, so that your body has the necessary co-factors to convert from one fatty acid to another.