Fish reduces risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Fish eaters have less risk of getting rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Even eating one serving of any kind of fish on a weekly helps cut the risk of developing RA by 35 percent. And if the fish eaten on a regular long-term (for at least a decade) basis is salmon, the risk of RA reduces by 50 %. This is due to presence of omega-3 fatty acids contained in an oily fish such as salmon.
The finding, published online in August 2013 in Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, is from a study done at Sweden’s famed Karolinska Institutet. The study supports the an earlier Swedish study that had showed a 20 percent reduction in the risk of RA in both men and women who reported eating at least one serving of fish per month.
The researchers reviewed detailed diet questionnaires completed by 32,232 midlife and older Swedish women, 205 of whom were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis over an average of about eight years.
The Karolinska team concluded that the lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis seen among participating women seemed to be associated with the omega-3s the women were getting from the fish in their diet. The investigators looked at how often the women reported eating fish, not their use of fish oil supplements.
An alternative to fish could be flax seeds (or alsi) that is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acid, although there are no studies to support role of flax seeds in reducing risk of RA.
Dr. Ajay Sati.
