Fish Oil Fights Asthma in Adults
Omega-3 fatty acids, the healthy oils found in cold water fish and fish oil supplements, can help fight asthma, say scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center. During previous research they had shown that fatty acids in fish oil regulated immune cells (B cells), and they wanted to investigate the effects on asthma.
People with asthma have an imbalance between particles that reduce inflammation and those that increase inflammation. Their bodies have increased levels of IgE, the antibodies that cause allergic reactions and asthma symptoms in people with milder cases of asthma. Treating asthma with steroids controls the inflammation and relieves symptoms, but does not cure the underlying disease.
Researcher Richard Phipps and his team collected blood from 17 patients at UR Medicine’s Mary Parkes Asthma Center and isolated their B immune cells in the laboratory to explore the impact of omega-3 on IgE and other molecules that fuel the disease. They compared the results of the 17 patients to donors of healthy blood cells.
Most of the asthma patients were taking corticosteroids in either pill form or by inhaler, depending upon severity of their asthma. Results showed that all responded to the omega-3 fatty acids to some degree, and showed a reduction in the levels of IgE antibodies.
But unexpectedly, Phipps said, the cells from a small subset of patients who were taking oral steroids were less sensitive to the omega-3 treatment, possibly because steroids lower the body’s natural ability to fight asthma-related inflammation.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in late December 2016 showed that pregnant women who ate fish or took fish oil supplements reduced the risk of asthma in their children.
Phipps warned that all fish oil is not the same, and that consumers should buy with caution. “You really need high-quality, standardized material.”
Dozens of studies conducted during the past couple of decades have found that fish oil has numerous health benefits, especially for the heart. A study published in Physiological Reports found that taking omega-3 fish oil supplements every day can improve the heart health of seniors after only 12 weeks, making arteries less stiff and more supple.
Another study found that fish oil can even help the heart heal after a heart attack, reducing scarring in the heart muscle and helping the heart pump more efficiently when taken daily for six months following a heart attack.
In addition to cold water fish, such as tuna, sardines and salmon, omega-3 fatty acids can also be found in foods such as flax seed oil and walnuts.