Omega-3 fatty acids can improve COPD symptoms

By Stephen Daniells

15/12/2005 - A diet rich in omega-3 and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) could improve lung function for COPD sufferers, reports a study from Japan.

“Nutritional support with an omega-3 PUFA-rich diet decreased serum and sputum levels and improved symptoms [for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)],�?said the researchers from Kagoshima University Hospital.
COPD mainly affects smokers, and is the number five cause of death worldwide. It is characterised by chronic inflammation in the small airways of the lung and leads to excessive mucus production, excessive fibrous connective tissue development (fibrosis), and degradation of proteins (proteolysis). There is no cure.

The two-year Japanese study, published in the journal Chest (vol 128, no 6, pp 3817-3827), followed 64 patients with COPD. The patients were randomly divided into two groups; one received an omega-3 PUFA rich diet, and the other ate a normal diet. Results were quantified in terms of levels of inflammatory markers, exercise capacity, and shortness of breath.

The nutritional support consisted of a mixture of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, including lanoleic acid (LA), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a precursor for docosahexaenioc acid (DHA) and eicosapentaeoic acid (EPA).

After 15 months, levels of leukotriene B4 (LTB4), a marker for inflammation, were significantly lower for the patients receiving the fatty acid enriched diet. Shortness of breath also decreased, while the control group showed no improvement.

“Nutritional support with an omega-3 PUFA-rich diet had anti-inflammatory effects and improved exercise tolerance,�?said the researchers.

The role of the fatty acids is suspected to be complex. The scientists propose that the omega-3 PUFAs affect cellular signalling and gene expression activities. They are also suggested to affect other inflammatory cytokines. A larger study and longer follow-up period should be conducted, said the researchers.

Omega-3 fatty acids are found naturally in foods such as fish, canola oil and walnuts. Previous studies have linked it to improved behaviour in children, reduced loss of brain function in the elderly, and lowered incidence of postnatal depression in mothers.

Earlier research from Indiana University had showed omega-3 supplements could reduce symptoms associated with asthma and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIA).

Omega-3 supplementation of products has been a major growth area in the neutraceutical market. Mintel's Global New Products Database (GNPD) showed a 36 per cent increase in omega-3-containing product launches across Europe in 2005.

From:    http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/

Omega-3s reduce cough in allergic children

05/11/2004 - Supplements of omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent asthmatic cough and allergy to house dust mites in children, report Australian researchers, adding new evidence to the ongoing debate.

Omega-3 supplements are already widely used to improve heart health and increasingly for mental health. Allergy reduction could expand the application areas further.
Allergic diseases in youngsters have dramatically increased in western countries over the last 20 to 30 years, and they are often attributed to changes in lifestyle, such as diet.

Different groups of researchers have investigated whether fatty acids like omega-3s taken by mothers and children at birth could reduce the likelihood of children developing such diseases.

A UK study that investigated the effect of prenatal consumption of omega-3 and omega-6 on offspring found no protection against wheezing or asthma.

But the new study, reported in the October issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (vol 114, issue 4, pp 807-813), found that fatty acid supplementation seemed to reduce cough in children at risk for allergy. No benefit was seen in kids not predisposed to allergy however.

“There was a significant 10 per cent reduction in the prevalence of cough in atopic children in the active diet group but a negligible 1.1 per cent reduction in cough among non-atopic children,�?write the researchers from the Children's Hospital at Westmead, Australia.

Their study confirmed that the supplements offered no protection against wheezing, however it did find that another intervention, avoiding exposure to dust mites in the house, also helps.

The findings were gathered from 526 children with a family history of asthma enrolled antenatally in a randomized controlled trial. The subjects were followed to three years of age.

"These results suggest that our interventions, designed to be used in simple public health campaigns, may have a role in preventing the development of allergic sensitization and airways disease in early childhood," the authors conclude.

From:   http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=55893-omega-s-reduce

Omega-3s vitamins combo offers CVD protection
 
13/04/2006- A study has shown that a combined supplement containing omega-3, vitamin E and niacin offer antioxidant could offer protection against heart disease.

The individual compounds have all been reported to protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD), a disease that causes almost 50 per cent of deaths in Europe, and is reported to cost the EU economy an estimated �?69bn ($202bn) per year.

“Combining different compounds, which protect each other and act together at different levels of lipid chain production, improves lipid profile, inflammatory and oxidative status, allowing us to reduce the dose of each compound under the threshold of its side effects,�?reported lead author Roberto Accinni in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases (Vol. 16, pp. 121-127).

The randomised, blinded clinical trial divided 57 volunteers (average age 48, average BMI 27 kg/m2) into three groups: The first group (control �?group A) received a placebo, the second group (group B) received a supplement containing omega-3 fatty acids (660 mg EPA, 440 mg DHA) and vitamin E (4 mg alpha-tocopherol), and the third group (group C) received that same as B plus niacin (18 mg) and gamma-oryzanol (40.2 mg).

People with diagnosed CVD, diabetes, high blood pressure, or taking lipid lowering medication were excluded from the trial.

After four months of supplementation the researchers took several biochemical measurements to determine the efficacy of the supplements.

The total antioxidant capacity (TAC), measured from blood samples, had increased significantly during the four months �?group B’s TAC increased by 33.55 micromoles per millilitre (mm/ml), and groups C’s by 84 mm/ml. The placebo group’s TAC measure decreased by 16.15 mm/ml.

Blood levels of vitamin E were found to be significantly higher in group C, but not in group B - a result attributed to the presence of both niacin and gamma-oryzanol, which preserve vitamin E status.

Concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin 1-beta (IL 1-beta) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), also decreased as a result of the supplementation. The decrease in IL 1-beta, however, was only significant for group C.

“Judging by our results, four months�?supplementation produced a beneficial effect on dyslipidemia, oxidative equilibrium and inflammatory status in patients treated with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and gamma-oryzanol,�?said the researchers from Italy’s Institute of Clinical Physiology.

The authors said that a number of complementing mechanisms, most still unknown, were behind the activity observed by this combination supplement. Omega-3 fatty acids, for example, have been proposed to lower pro-inflammatory cytokines by the uptake and incorporation of EHA into the cell membranes.

Both niacin and gamma-oryzanol appeared to enhance the antioxidant power of the supplement, and spared vitamin E levels in the blood.

Interestingly, the researchers pointed out that unlike other reports, the use of niacin produced benefits and no side-effects, “thanks to small doses.�?/FONT>

 
Study finds omega-3 greater anti-inflammatory potential

By Alex McNally

30/07/2007- An increased intake of fish oil over vegetable oil can help reduce the inflammation of various tissue and organs, a study has found.

Writing in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, researchers from America report that omega-3 fish oil has a greater effect of decreasing the formulation of chemicals called prostanoids than the equivalent from vegetable oil.

This study adds to an ever-growing body of science linking a multitude of health benefits to omega-3, as well as rubber stamping the benefits of omega-3 over omega-6.

In August last year, researchers from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA reported that changing the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 in the typical Western diet might reduce prostate cancer tumour growth rates and PSA levels (Clinical Cancer Research, Vol. 12, Issue 15).

Moreover, researchers from the Paterson Institute, a cancer research institute funded by British charity Cancer Research UK and affiliated with the University of Manchester reported that omega 6 fats increased the spread of prostate tumour cells into bone marrow, while omega-3 fatty acids were seen to block this invasion (British Journal of Cancer, doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6603030).

The results of this new study, Enzymes and Receptors of Prostaglandin Pathways with Arachidonic Acid-derived Versus Eicosapentaenoic Acid-derived Substrates and Products are due to be published on August 3. NutraIngredients.com has not yet seen the full report.

Lead author Professor William Smith from the University of Michigan hopes the findings could also help in designing new anti-flammatory drugs with fewer side effects than the ones currently available

The new study has been ranked "Paper of the Week" by the journal's editors, which means it has been judged by journal authors to be of significant importance.

Smith and colleagues looked at the mutual effects of both oils by changing their respective amounts in cultured cells.

They found a relative increase in fish oil lowered the amount of prostanoids from vegetable oil.

Both fish and vegetable oils are converted into prostanoids through chemical reactions that are aided by enzymes called cyclo-oxygenases (COX), two types of which - COX-1 and COX-2 - are involved in the reactions.

Prostanoids, when produced in excess, increase inflammation in various tissues and organs.

Smith wrote: "Dietary fish oil containing omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids has cardioprotective and anti-inflammatory effects.

"Prostaglandins (PGs) and thromboxanes are produced in vivo both from the omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid (AA) and the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

"Certain beneficial effects of fish oil may result from altered PG metabolism resulting from increases in the EPA/AA ratios of precursor phospholipids."

The in vitro study found that an increase fatty acid high in EPA had a greater effect on inhibiting the creation of prostanoids from omega-6 in the COX-1 enzyme.

This study adds further weight for other potential uses for omega-3. Studies have also shown the fatty acid has the ability to protect against the development of retinopathy, and ease symptoms  associated with Alzheimer's disease.

According to the latest Frost and Sullivan figures the European omega-3 market was worth around �?60m (£108m) in 2004 - and is expected to grow at around 8 per cent a year until 2010.

Source: Journal of Biological Chemistry, August 2007, Vol. 282, Issue 31
"Enzymes and Receptors of Prostaglandin Pathways with Arachidonic Acid-derived Versus Eicosapentaenoic Acid-derived Substrates and Products" 

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