Omega-3s may help prevent lupus, according to a new study from the University of Michigan.
According to the Lupus Foundation of America: “Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). Chronic means that the signs and symptoms tend to last longer than six weeks and often for many years.”
About 5 million people worldwide suffer from some form of lupus.
There are many risk factors for lupus, one of them being exposure to crystalline silica.
Crystalline silica is a substance used in concrete, brick and mortar.
“Cells in the lung can gobble up the silica, but it’s so toxic, it kills these cells,” explains study co-author Jack Harkema, of the Institute for Integrative Toxicology at Michigan State University.
“When they die, signals are sent out to the immune system that something is wrong. The body then produces such a strong response that it also starts to target healthy cells.”
Harkema and the research team set out to find if omega-3s may help prevent lupus caused by crystalline silica exposure.
They treated mice that were exposed to crystalline silica with omega-3s.
The researchers found that the mice that were fed with omega-3s had significantly fewer lung lesions than the mice who were not given omega-3s.
“Ninety-six percent of the lung lesions were stopped with DHA after being triggered by the silica,” notes Harkema. “I’ve never seen such a dramatic protective response in the lung before.”
Study co-author James Pestka concluded:
“What we do know is this study is a clear indication that eating DHA can prevent this one type of environmental triggering of lupus. It can suppress many of the disease’s signaling pathways, which current drugs on the market now try to target and treat.”
The study showing that omega-3s may help prevent lupus was published in the journal Plos One.
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REFERENCES:
1. “Omega-3 Could Help Prevent Environmentally Induced Lupus.” Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.
2. “Silica-Triggered Autoimmunity in Lupus-Prone Mice Blocked by Docosahexaenoic Acid Consumption.” Plos One. Plos One, n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2016.
3. “Omega-3 Fatty Acid Stops Known Trigger Of Lupus.” Newswise. University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2016.
4. “What Is Lupus?” Lupus Foundation of America. Lupus Foundation of America, n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.
