Omega-3 And Lupus

Lupus is an immune disorder that can range in severity from a mild rash to a fatal assault on the brain, the joints, the skin, the kidneys, the lungs and the heart. It may affect two or three parts of the body. Lupus carries a lot of the same symptoms as FMS.  

It is a chronic disorder in which a person’s immune system attacks the body. SLE is the most severe form, which causes inflammation of connective tissue throughout the body, from the joints to the kidneys.  

Because of this complexity, treatments span a broad range, and may include steroids and corticosteroids to suppress inflammation; or drugs that suppress the immune system.  

Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, the two most common autoimmune diseases, are estimated to afflict seven million Americans. Lupus occurs in 1 out of 2,000 Americans and in as many as 1 in 250 young, African-American women. 

Autoimmune diseases are not only more common in women but also appear to be related to estrogen supplementation or estrogen dominance. Recent studies have shown that women who use HRT containing estrogen are more likely to get lupus. 

Patients with lupus produce abnormal antibodies in their blood that target tissues within their own body rather than foreign infectious agents. 

The typical American diet with its surplus of omega-6 fatty acids worsens lupus. 

To see if lowering the intake of this nutrient might be of benefit Swedish researchers advised nineteen lupus patients to stop eating omega-6 oils and replace them with saturated fat.  

At the end of a year, the number of patients with active cases dropped from eleven to three Just as important most of the patients was able to cut back on their steroid medications. 

The first medication that adding omega-3 fatty acids to the diet can help control lupus came from animal studies. In one revealing study mice with an lnpushke condition were given fish oil or beef fat. 

Eighty-five percent of the mice fed a fish-oil diet were still alive at nineteen months of age compared with only 2 percent of the mice fed a beef-fat diet. 

Two pilot studies show that fish oil pills can help human sufferers as well. In one study, patients with active lupus were given either placebos or 20 grams of fish oil a day. While taking the omega-3 supplements~ 82 percent were judged to be markedly improved.  

When they were switched to placebos only 28 percent showed any benefit In a study conducted in India a much smaller daily dose of omega-3 fatty acids (300 milligrams of EPA plus DHA) was given to ten consecutive patients with newly diagnosed SLE. All ten patients went into remission, some for as long as three years.  

They remained in remission at the time the study was written. Remarkably, they were able to discontinue all other medications and had no negative side effects from the omega-3 fatty acids.