Multiple sclerosis is a devastating disease that can be fatal. The symptoms usually develop between the ages of 20 and 40 and women more often than men are affected. It is estimated that one out of every 700 Americans suffers from Multiple Sclerosis to some degree.
Multiple Sclerosis is a mystery disease. The cause remains unknown, but the prevailing belief is that it is the result of damage to the myelin sheath, which is the covering of the nerve cells.
It is recommended that everyone eat fish at least twice a week to get the benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids that are abundant if fish. Omega-3 contains two compounds, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These two effect important blood proteins known as matrix metalloproteinase-9; MMP-9 that are made in the immune cell of MS patients.
The results of a new study that looked at the effects of omega-3 on MMP-9 in MS patients shows that taking fish oil that contains omega-3 fatty acids may be of a benefit to the patients bye decreasing MMP-9 levels and increasing the levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
The study was done with 10 MS patients who were given 9.6 grams of fish oil a day. They also evaluated immune cells from healthy subjects to enable them to compare the concentration effects of EPA and DHA on MMP-9 levels and activity.
The results showed that there was a 58 percent decrease in the levels of MMP-9 that were secreted from the immune cells of the MS patients. This was after they had taken three months of the fish oil supplements. At the same time, both EPA and DHA levels showed a significant increase in red blood cell membranes. This shows that Omega-3 fatty acids may act as immune-modulators and that would be a great benefit for many MS patients.
The head research on this project is L. Shinto, ND, MPH, and he was joined in the work by S. Baldauf-Wagner, A. Strehlow, V. Yadav and D. Bourdette, all of whom are members of the Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR; and G. Marracci from the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Portland, OR. They are Naturopathic physicians who are specialists in the art and science of natural healthcare and who have gotten their training at accredited medical colleges.
Source: http://www.newswise.com/
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