Cystic Fibrosis
Seriously ill Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients cannot absorb fats and other nutrients properly and therefore often need infusions of essential fatty acids. These infusions are most often based on linoleic acid as many CF patients have been found to have a deficiency of this omega-6 fatty acid. There is now substantial evidence that long-chain omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils can suppress inflammatory processes such as those involved in CF.
A team of American, Finnish, and German researchers completed a small clinical trial aimed at determining if it would be safe and effective to use a fish oil fortified emulsion in the intravenous feeding of CF patients. The trial involved 12 patients; 6 were given infusions of a lipid emulsion enriched with fish oils while the remaining 6 (control group) were given infusions of the standard linoleic acid-based emulsion. The fish oil emulsion contained 18.3% eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 27.6% docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), 12.7% oleic acid, and 2.5% linoleic acid. The standard emulsion contained 54.5% linoleic acid, 22.4% oleic acid, and 0% EPA and DHA. Both emulsions were administered daily (over a 4-hour period) for 1 month at a dose of 150 mg/kg of body weight. The researchers found no adverse effects on liver function or coagulation parameters and no toxic or allergic reactions in the patients receiving the fish oil emulsion. There was a tendency to improved lung function in the fish oil group and a tendency towards a worsening in the control group during the trial; however, these effects were not statistically significant.
The researchers conclude that intravenous infusions of lipid emulsions containing fish oils are safe for CF patients. They urge additional, longer-term studies to determine if such infusions would be of clinical benefit.
Tags: Cystic Fibrosis, omega 3, Seal Oil
Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory disease involving intestinal pain, diarrhea, and malabsorption of nutrients. The disease is characterized by periods of active disease interspersed with periods of remission. Elemental diet (ED) therapy is the preferred treatment in Japan. Conventional treatment with prednisone and salycylates has been only marginally successful in extending the periods of remission. The ED therapy involves tube feeding (enteral nutrition) a mixture of free amino acids, short-chain maltodextrins, and low levels of fat in the form of soybean oil. Not surprisingly, compliance with this diet is poor resulting in shorter periods of remission.
Researchers at the University of Bologna report that fish oils can prevent relapses. Their experiment involved 78 patients with Crohn’s disease who had been classified as having a high risk of relapse. Half the patients were randomized to receive nine fish oil capsules daily, the other half received nine placebo capsules daily. The fish oil capsules contained 500 mg of a marine lipid concentrate each (40 per cent eicosapentaenoic acid and 20 per cent docosahexaenoic acid) and provided a total of 2.7 grams of n-3 fatty acids per day. The capsules were enteric-coated so as to ensure that they dissolved in the small intestine instead of in the stomach and to minimize unpleasant side effects such as flatulence, heartburn, belching, and diarrhea. The results of the fish oil therapy were spectacular. While 69% of the patients in the control group had a relapse during the one-year study period, only 28% in the therapy group did. At the end of the one-year period 59% of the patients in the fish oil group were still in remission as compared to only 26% in the placebo group. The researchers conclude that fish oil therapy (with enteric-coated capsules) is effective in preventing relapses in patients with Crohn’s disease in remission.
Tags: Crohn's Disease, omega 3, Seal Oil
