Omega-3 fatty acid may stop lupus trigger, claims new research

Consuming an omega-3 fatty acid called DHA can stop a known trigger of lupus, says new research published in PLOS ONE

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is found in fatty cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel and is produced by the algae that fish eat and store in their bodies.

Lupus is considered a genetic disease and is triggered by inhaling crystalline silica toxicants and other environmental factors. Quartz is the most common form of crystalline silica and is often found in the agriculture, construction and mining industries where workers can breathe in the mineral dust.

“What we discovered was when lupus was triggered by crystalline silica, a toxic mineral also known as quartz that’s linked to human autoimmunity, DHA blocked the activation of the disease,” explains Melissa Bates, one of the study’s lead authors.

Scientists looked at the effect of DHA on lupus lesions in the lungs and kidneys of female mice that were genetically predisposed to the disease. Jack Harkema who is involved in the work comments:

“96% of the lung lesions were stopped with DHA after being triggered by the silica. I’ve never seen such a dramatic protective response in the lung before.”

It is not known why DHA is able to prevent the onset of lupus, but this new research provides scientists with a better model for looking at how much DHA is needed to ward off the environmental trigger of the disease.

Possible explanations

• DHA might help cells send an anti-inflammatory signal to the body so it doesn’t overcompensate and trigger an autoimmune response;

• DHA allows the cells to swallow up and remove the toxic silica from the lung without dying, preventing inflammatory signals from being sent.

“What we do know is this study is a clear indication that eating DHA can prevent this one type of environmental triggering of lupus,” says Prof James Pestka (also involved in the work). “It can suppress many of the disease’s signaling pathways, which current drugs on the market now try to target and treat.”

Click here to read the original research.

For more in-depth features, interviews and information, subscribe to Arthritis Digest magazine, a popular title that’s published six times a year. Click here for the digital version or tel 0845 643 8470 to order your had copy. You’ll know what your doctor is talking about, what new drugs are in the pipeline and be up to date on helpful products.