Omega-3 fatty acid benefits for different patient populations
Omega-3 fatty acids are notable for their protean physiological effects, including regulation of eicosanoid production, cell membrane physiology, gene expression and translation, and metabolism. Such diversity of action allows omega-3 fatty acids to be investigated as potential therapy in a variety of disease states. In fact, there is active omega-3 research in many disparate medical fields, including the following:
- Cardiovascular disease - Perhaps the mostly actively investigated area, omega-3 fatty acids have been noted to have beneficial effects on atherosclerotic disease, congestive heart failure, hypertriglyceridemia, and arrhythmias. The American Heart Association currently recommends that persons with established heart disease consume 1 g fish oil daily 1.
- Metabolism - Omega-3 fatty acids are an accepted therapy for severe hypertriglyceridemia and are being studied in other metabolic derangements, including diabetes mellitus and fatty liver 2,3.
- Critical care medicine - Preliminary evidence suggests that omega-3s may improve outcomes in critically ill adults 4. These findings are presently being tested in randomized, controlled trials.
- Psychiatric and neurodegenerative - The omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid or DHA comprises an unusually large component of fatty acids within the central nervous system. This may partly explain why low levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with an increased risk for major depression, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Alzheimer's disease, among others. Ongoing clinical trials are testing whether omega-3 fatty acids can be used to treat these illnesses 5.
- Autoimmune diseases - There is a growing interest in the putative beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids on the symptomatology of various rheumatological illnesses 6.
References
- Kris-Etherton PM, Harris WS, Appel LJ for the Nutrition Committee. Fish consumption, fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and cardiovascular disease. Circulation 2002;106(21):2747-57.
- Hartweg J, Perera R, Montori V, Dinneen S, Neil HA, Farmer A. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2008;23(1):CD003205.
- González-Périz A, Horrillo R, Ferré N, Gronert K, Dong B, Morán-Salvador E, Titos E, Martínez-Clemente M, López-Parra M, Arroyo V, Clària J. Obesity-induced insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis are alleviated by omega-3 fatty acids: a role for resolvins and protectins. FASEB J 2009;23(6):1946-57.
- Marik PE, Zaloga GP. Immunonutrition in critically ill patients: a systemic review and analysis of the literature. Intensive Care Med 2008;34(11):1980-90.
- www.clinicaltrials.gov
- Goldberg RJ, Katz J. A meta-analysis of the analgesic effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for inflammatory joint pain. Pain 2007;129(1-2):210-23.
Key Points
- The protean biologic effects of omega-3 fatty acids make them a potentially useful therapy for a variety of disparate illnesses.
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