Could omega-3 foods help cut damage caused by pollution?

March 7, 2017

Researchers at Harvard Medical School say toxic particles can penetrate lungs
Poor air quality is a major cause of disease and death and increases stroke risk
Study found omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish, soy beans and spinach can be used to prevent damage caused by polluted air

Kate Pickles For The Daily Mail

Published:
21:06 EST, 3 March 2017

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Updated:
10:09 EST, 4 March 2017

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Eating foods rich in omega-3 can reduce harm caused by air pollution by up to half, a study has found.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School discovered that toxic particles can penetrate through the lungs into other organs, including the brain and testicles.

Poor air quality is a major cause of disease and death – increasing the risk of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma.

Eating foods rich in omega-3 such as oily fish (file picture) can reduce harm caused by air pollution by up to half, a study has found

But the study found omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish, soy beans and spinach can be used to prevent and treat the damage caused by polluted air.

More than 90 per cent of the UK’s population is living in areas where air pollution exceeds safe limits set by the World Health Organisation, according to recent research.

Some of the deadliest pollutants are PM2.5 particles, which irritate cells and raise levels of inflammation – which is the main risk factor for related diseases.

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In the latest study, this effect was mitigated by between a third and half by administering doses of omega-3 fatty acids (OFAs).

Lead researcher Dr Jing Kang, of Massachusetts General Hospital, said that although the experiments were carried out on mice, he anticipated the same changes would be true of humans.

‘These pathological changes are very important because they are the fundamental mechanisms for the common chronic diseases we have today,’ he said. ‘I can anticipate the same things would happen in humans, because many other inflammatory diseases in humans can be treated with OFAs. We feel very confident OFAs can do something very good.’

In the latest study, the effect of pollution was mitigated by between a third and half by administering doses of omega-3 fatty acids (OFAs). Tablets are pictured above

He recommended between two and four grams of omega-3 – the equivalent of two 85g portions a day of salmon – although NHS guidelines recommend not eating more than one portion a day. Dr Kang added: ‘I would definitely recommend taking OFAs to counter air pollution problems. OFAs are well known to have many other healthy benefits and the key thing is they are not like a drug, but a nutrient with so many benefits.’

Other experts noted that while the research was ‘thorough’, the findings should be viewed with caution as the levels of pollution mice had been exposed to were high. Dr Kang also suggested that cutting pollution levels at the source was key.