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Two recent studies concluded that Omega-3 fatty acid supplements are not effective in managing Crohn's disease. Patients have been taking Omega-3's for years under the impression that it may ease the pain of an inflamed digestive tract, but an international research team determined that they will need to look elsewhere for a solution.
The researchers involved in the study monitored 738 Crohn's patients in Canada, Europe, Israel, and the United States whose symptoms were in remission. The research took place over a period of years-between January of 2003 and February of 2007.
Both studies involved patients being randomly assigned to take a daily Omega-3 supplement or a placebo. Of the 363 patients in the first study-that lasted for 52 weeks-54 of those treated with the Omega-3's experienced a relapse, as did 62 of the patients who received the placebo. The second study involved 275 participants over the course of 58 weeks, and the results were similar. A total of 84 patients taking the Omega-3 capsules had a relapse, and 94 of those taking the placebo relapsed.
The overall conclusion, combining the results of both studies, was that there was no statistically significant different in the rate of relapse between the two groups. Thus, Omega-3 fatty acids do not prevent or reduce the rate of relapse in Crohn's patients. The study's lead author, Dr. Brian Feagan, professor of medicine and director of Robarts Clinical Trials at the Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada, noted that the results were "quite definitive." The detailed results of the studies were published in the April 9th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Some other experts have taken exception with the study and commented that a different dosage may be more effective. A small study involving 78 patients found that 33 percent of patients reduced their risk of relapse by taking Omega-3 fatty acids daily. That study was published previously in the New England Journal of Medicine. However, most subsequent studies have shown no positive results of Omega-3 supplements in Crohn's patients.
Omega-3 fatty acids can be taken in supplement form but are also found in several common food items, such as walnuts and fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, and sardines. Often, Omega-3's are effective in fighting other inflammatory disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, so doctors and Crohn's patients had been hopeful that the same would be true for their disease.
Crohn's disease is an ongoing disorder that causes inflammation of the digestive tract, also referred to as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Typically, the disease affects the lower part of the small intestine and causes deep and painful swelling, as well as diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, and rectal bleeding. Crohn's is often difficult to diagnose, as symptoms are similar to other intestinal disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis, but it is known to affect over 1.4 million people in the United States alone.
It is estimated that 20 percent of people with Crohn's look to alternative medicines to manage the disease, one for which there is no specific cause and no known cure. Some patients are helped by corticosteroids, immune system suppressants, and antibiotics, while others resort to surgery to ease the symptoms-all in the hopes of long-term remission.
