New collaborative research from seven institutions across the U.S. is showing an association between increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids and a decreased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in people likely to develop this disease. The research has been published in Rheumatology.
Study: More Omega-3s, Less Risk of RA!
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Researchers, led by Jill Norris, Ph.D., a professor in the department of epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health and the study’s principal investigator, analyzed self-reported data about omega-3 consumption from 30 people who had autoantibodies for RA and 47 control patients who did not. They found that two of the crucial omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, may do their beneficial work by suppressing a particular protein that regulates the intensity and duration of the immune response.
Dr. Norris told OTW, “Diet has received considerable attention in RA, where up to 40% of patients with RA believe that their diet had a significant impact on the onset of disease. Some studies have suggested that fish may have a protective effect, but these studies have been inconsistent, in part because they have been retrospective and it is difficult to measure diet accurately. We drew from our previous research in type 1 diabetes, another autoimmune disease, which showed that both increased dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids and a biomarker of omega-3 fatty acid status were associated with a decreased risk of the autoimmunity that precedes type 1 diabetes. Therefore, we looked to see if self-reported omega-3 fatty acid supplement use and this same biomarker of omega-3 fatty acid status was associated with a decreased risk of RA-related autoimmunity, in people without RA. We found that just 6.7% of the individuals who had the autoantibodies for RA reported taking an omega-3 supplement, compared with 34.4% in the control group. Moreover, when we looked in the blood, those who had the autoantibodies for RA had lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids than the controls.”
“Because we had seen a very similar relationship in type 1 diabetes, this wasn’t surprising to us. We think it suggests that omega-3 fatty acids may have a more general anti-inflammatory effect on autoimmune diseases; and that they may work early in the disease pathogenesis, i.e., at the time of appearance of autoimmunity.”
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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