A recent study found daily supplementation with Omega 3 may aid in easing the pain associated with Osteoarthritis in overweight and obese older adults.
Over 150 sedentary adults between the ages of 50 and 80 participated in this randomized, double-blind, 2×2 factorial, placebo-controlled intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to be in one of following four groups:
Placebo
Fish Oil (2,400 mg of EPA+DHA)
Curcumin (160 mg/day)
Combination of Fish Oil Plus Curcumin
The study lasted for 16 weeks.
Of the over 130 participants who completed the study, individuals supplementing with the Omega-3 Fish Oil were found to notice a significant reduction in Osteoarthritis specific pain and burden when compared to the group not supplementing with Omega-3. Osteoarthritis specific burdens are identified as physical distress, physical limitations, sleep disturbances, psychological distress, loss of productivity and financial hardship. Additionally, researchers found that Fish Oil supplementation was associated with increases in the small artery elasticity index. The small artery elasticity index is used as a surrogate marker for microvascular function. The increases in this index seen with Omega-3 supplementation may aid in restoring oxygen and nutrient supply to affected arthritic joints thereby reducing pain.
Supplementing with Curcumin alone, or in combination with Omega-3 had no effect on pain measurements.
Further studies are need.
Here is some additional information about Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids:
Chemically a fatty acid is an organic acid with an acid group at one end of its molecule and a methyl at the other end. Fatty acids are categorized in the Omega groups 3, 6 or 9 according to the location of their last double bond.
An Essential Fatty Acid is a fatty acid that the body cannot manufacture by itself, in other words they must be obtained through supplementation or through foods. There are 2 fatty acids that are designated as essential fatty acids: linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid. There are more fatty acids than these 2 specific essential fatty acids found in the Omega 3-6-9 groups but a healthy body may be able to manufacture them as long as there is enough linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, so they are considered non-essential fatty acids. There are however certain health benefits to be obtained by intaking some of the non-essential fatty acids directly, especially in the case of the Omega 3 fatty acids.
The Need for More Omega 3
Humans evolved on a diet that had approximately a 1:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids (EFA), today our Western diet contains a ratio of 15:1 – 16.7:1. A typical Western diet is deficient in Omega-3 Fatty Acids and has an overabundance of Omega-6 Fatty Acids when compared to the diet in which humans evolved and their genetic patterns were established. In a study done by The Harvard School of Public Health over 96,000 deaths in the US were attributed to being caused by an Omega-3 deficiency. Other research shows that excessive amounts of Omega-6 fatty acids and high Omega-6/Omega-3 ratios promote many types of diseases like autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, cancer and cardiovascular disease. It is obvious that increasing Omega-3 Fatty Acid intake is necessary for a healthier population.
Molecular Distillation
The public was made aware of excessive levels of mercury, a neurotoxic heavy metal, as well as PCBs and other toxic organic compounds found in certain fish species from a well-publicized federal advisory in 2001. It was determined that fish oil supplements could also be subject to excessive levels of these neurotoxins. It makes choosing a “CLEAN” fish oil even more important than ever. For this very reason Viva Vitamins uses pure, high quality, molecularly distilled Omega-3 EPA/DHA fish oil in the products they manufacture. Molecular distillation is a process where all heavy metals and PCBs are virtually removed from the fish oil. Additionally extensive testing is performed to verify that all federal standards of purity have not just been met but have been surpassed.
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