FISH OIL REDUCES ARTHRITIS DRUG USE

A daily dose of cod liver oil can cut painkiller use in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a study suggests.

Taking 10g of cod liver oil a day reduced the need for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by 30%.

Concerns about side-effects of NSAIDs has prompted research into alternatives.

Patients in the trial were either given cod liver oil or placebo and after 12 weeks asked to gradually reduce their use of NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen.

Almost 60 patients completed the nine-month trial which found 39% taking cod liver oil reduced their daily dose of NSAIDs compared with 10% taking a placebo.

The reduction in drug use was not associated with any worsening of pain or the disease, the researchers reported.

The research team at the University of Dundee, aided by colleagues at the University of Edinburgh, have now completed three studies which have all shown patients are able to cut down their NSAID use when taking cod liver oil.

It is thought fatty acids in the fish oil have anti-inflammatory properties.

Some side-effects of NSAIDs, such as an increased risk of stomach bleeding have been known for a long time. But more recently, concerns have been raised about an apparent increased risk of heart attacks and strokes in those taking the drugs.

Study leader Professor Jill Belch said the study offered hope to many rheumatoid arthritis patients who wanted to reduce the amount of pain medication they take.

"Every change in medication should be discussed with a GP but I would advise people to give cod liver oil a try for 12 weeks alongside their NSAIDs and then try to cut it down if they can manage it but if they don't manage it, that's fine.

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Super Healthy Tip…

Sounds like great advice. Often I found people hesitant to start on natural “alternatives” because they feel it means they should stop taking their normal medicine that they are somehow going behind their doctor’s back, or that maybe the combination could be somehow dangerous. The approach suggested above of introducing the natural supplement and after a while slowly reducing your medication dose makes a lot of sense. But I always tell people to do this process with their MD’s knowledge, because it is their MD who manages their drugs – not me, and probably not themselves.