May 9, 2003, WebMD

People who eat the most fish have the fewest eye problems.

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology reports that fish oil may help protects the eyes from macular degeneration.

 National Eye Institute researcher John Paul SanGiovanni and his associates looked at information from 4,513 60- to 80-year-old subjects and found that Those who ate fish in excess of twice a week were fifty percent less likely to be diagnosed with macular degeneration compared to people who ate no fish whatsoever.

 In another study, Komal A. Trivedi, MD, from Harvard (along with associates) probed into whether or not fish oil protects from dry eye syndrome.  Trivedi's team analyzed data from 32,470 female health professionals in the female's Health Study. They concluded that females who consumed the most omega-3 fatty acids were less likely to have dry eye syndrome compared with those females whose diets had the smallest amount fish oil.

  

March 11, 2003, BBC News

Fish Oil Can Improve Lupus Symptoms

 Omega-3 fatty acids from fish and fish oil may be helpful in reducing symptoms of lupus, which is an an immune system disorder, according to a recent case study.  

This study consisted of 52 patients suffering from active lupus who were followed for 6 months. Subjects took either fish oil capsules 3 times daily, a copper supplement, copper plus fish oil or a placebo.

 The copper proved to be of absolutely no benefit. However, every one of the patients who took fish oil had less inflammation and fatigue, which are possibly the worst symptoms.

 The improvements ranged from drastic to mild, according to the study.

 

 The cause of lupus is unknown, and there is no known cure for the disease. Steroids and certain other substances are routinely prescribed to manage it. But these treatments sometimes have severe side effects.

 In this study, some patients taking fish oils and steroids were able to reduce their dose of steroids.

 The omega-3 fatty acids which are found in fish oil are vital and are thought to be anti-inflammatory in nature. 

 Researchers state that these findings  may indicate that people with lupus could benefit from increasing their consumption of fish oil supplements.

 

February 7, 2003, BBC News

 Fish oil 'keeps arteries clear'

Fish oil may protect people from heart disease and/or stroke. Researchers workers at the Southampton Univ. report that omega-3 oils such as found in fish oil prevent the accumulation of fatty deposits in the arteries.

 These deposits can potentially block certain routes to the heart which can trigger a heart attack. Blockage to the brain, conversely, can cause a stroke.

 The results increase the evidence that taking fish oil or eating certain types of fish may minimize these risks.

 Professor Philip Calder and his associates based their findings on a study of 162 patients who were scheduled to have surgery to remove very high levels of fatty build-up in their arteries.

 Daily supplements

 In this study patients were divided into 3 sections and consumed either  fish-oil capsules, sunflower-oil capsules or a placebo 6 times per day.

 After these subjects had surgery, physicians examined their plaques, or fatty build-up in their arteries.

 The result was far fewer inflammatory cells in the plaques of patients who had consumed the fish oil capsules.

 professor Calder recommends that people consume more fish or fish-oil supplements.

 "I have no hesitation in recommending that people increase their consumption of omega-3s, even if they are not ill, because they are protective," he said.

 "Increasing their intake of omega-3 fatty acids simply by eating more oily fish or taking fish oil capsules can reduce their risk of heart-related death."

 He says that the patients involved in the study took relatively large doses of fish oil.

 He implied that taking substantially smaller doses of fish oil or fish spread out over a  longer stretch of time may be just as advantageous.

 "We gave them about 1.6 grams of omega-3 per day, which is 10 times more than people would normally have," he said.

 "To achieve this level people would have to consume several oily fish meals a week or take quite a number of fish oil capsules per day.

 "The level we're talking about is quite high, but if people have a very long period of exposure to a lower dose it might have the same effect."

 More research

 The Stroke Association welcomed this study. However, they cautioned that additional research may be required to find out how much fish oil should be taken.

 Eoin Redahan, a director, stated: "This research strengthens the information that has already been around about omega-3 fatty acids."

 However, when talking to BBC News Online, he said: "What we don't know is how much omega-3 should be taken and how it should be taken.

 "For instance, if you take too much it can block the normal blood clotting process and that in turn could lead to excessive bleeding. This could be dangerous after someone has suffered a hemorrhagic stroke."