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LONDON (Reuters Health) Mar 11 - Increased dietary
intake of fish oils improves symptoms in patients with systemic
lupus erythematosus, researchers in Northern Ireland said on Tuesday.
In what they say is the largest study of its kind,
Dr. Emeir Duffy and colleagues studied the effect of fish oil supplements
in 52 patients with active lupus over 6 months.
All the participants who took the fish oil saw improvements
in quality of life, inflammation and fatigue, which is the most
debilitating symptom of lupus, said Dr. Duffy, a biomedical scientist
from the University of Ulster.
"Some found it fantastic and they went from being
severely affected in their daily life to actually joining the gym
and having a huge difference in what they could do," she told Reuters
Health. "Others saw a mild improvement, being able to go out and
do the shopping which is a big bonus to some people who can't even
leave the house."
Recently, researchers have been looking at managing
lupus through diet. The omega-3 fatty acids that are found in fish
oils and some other foods have raised particular interest because
of their anti-inflammatory and anti-autoimmune properties.
Participants in this study took either fish oil supplements
three times per day, a copper supplement, copper plus fish oil,
or an inactive placebo. The copper was of no benefit, the investigators
found.
However, "We found that some patients taking steroids
and taking the fish oils actually reduced their dose [of steroids]
toward the end of the study," Dr. Duffy said.
The researchers have not yet published their research.
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