n-3 Fatty acids for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases

Abstract

The aim of the present paper is to briefly review the literature relating to clinical studies of the use of polyunsaturated long-chain fatty acids in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases ( IBD) such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The reasons for the discrepancies in the findings could be related to the different study designs, different treatments, overlapping of treatment effects, as well as the variety of treatment formulations and doses used, which have led to results that are, in certain instances, very difficult to explain. Emphasis on a treatment formulation which reduces the incidence of side effects, together with careful selection of patients and experimental design, seems to be associated with benefits, and these studies point to the therapeutic potential for these lipids in the therapy of IBD. It is possible that these fatty acids act by reducing low-grade active inflammation rather than by preventing reinitiation of the inflammatory process from a truly quiescent state. Whether this treatment is applicable to all IBD patients has not been fully elucidated. Nevertheless, taken together, all these studies suggest the effectiveness of these new therapeutic approaches, not only when conventional treatment fails or when it is not possible to treat chronically, but also, in some instances, as first choice.

Intake of n-3 fatty acids from fish does not lower serum concentrations of C-reactive protein in healthy subjects

“…Dietary effects on markers of inflammatory processes have hardly been studied and are not yet established (de-Maat et al, 2000;Sierksma et al, 2002). N-3 fatty acids are suggested to have anti-inflammatory effects; they appear to reduce the production of inflammatory cytokines associated with several chronic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (Kremer, 2000) and inflammatory bowel disease (Belluzzi, 2002). We hypothesised that n-3 fatty acids from fish reduce underlying inflammatory processes and in this way CRP concentrations.…”

Ulcerative colitis and diet

“…N-3 fatty acids are the most important among the food products that are considered to affect disease activity positively. Studies on fish fat and n-3 fatty acids have shown that these food products might have positive effects on disease activity, mucosal healing, achievement of remission, or prevention of relapses (16)(17)(18). However, a Cochrane analysis evaluating fish fat and n-3 fatty acids has suggested that the potential positive effects of fish fat and n-3 fatty acids on UC did not reach statistical significance (19).…”

Study of the effects of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids: Molecular mechanisms involved in intestinal inflammation

“…They reduce inflammation and induce lipid oxidation for enhanced energy utilization (Deckelbaum et al, 2006). Long chain PUFA modulate inflammatory processes by altering fatty acid metabolism in the intestinal epithelial cells (Belluzzi, 2002). There are multiple mechanisms whereby long chain PUFA, especially n-3 PUFA, can affect transcription factor-dependent gene expression, the expression of nuclear hormone receptors and lipid second messengers.…”