Omega-3 Fatty Acids Protect Against Cartilage Destruction
Noel Peterson, ND
For quite some time, studies have shown that patients with arthritis who supplement with omega-3 fatty acids, commonly found in fish oil, often feel an improvement in many symptoms. Yet until recently, researchers have not been able to explain many of the precise mechanics whereby these critical dietary nutrients protect joint tissue.
It may be all in the genes, as they say - or at least in the expression of genes. To mimic the effect of free fatty acids in the human bloodstream, researchers from the Connective Tissue Biology Laboratories at Cardiff University in Britain exposed cartilage cells (chondrocytes) to omega-3 fatty acids and observed their response to inflammatory and immune system mediators.
They found that omega-3 fatty acids significantly slowed down genetic transcription of several primary triggers of cartilage destruction: reducing the enzymes (aggrecanases) that degrade important constituents of cartilage (proteoglycans), decreasing inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor, and downregulating the inflammatory pathway mediated by cyclooxygenase-2 enzymes. Significantly, omega-3 fatty acids acted as selective inhibitors and did not interfere with the less inflammatory cyclooxygenase-1 response, thereby preserving healthy metabolic function.
The data "conclusively indicate" that these genetic molecular mechanisms are specific for the omega-3 fatty acids, said the investigators. Because these nutrients help block the genetic expression of the key mediators of joint breakdown in arthritis, they play a "beneficial role.in alleviation of several of the physiological parameters that cause and propagate arthritic disease."
Source: Curtis CL, Hughes CE, Flannery CR, Little CB, Harwood JL, Caterson B. n-3 fatty acids specifically modulate catabolic factors involved in articular cartilage degradation. J Biol Chem