Omega-3 supplements, are they useful for ulcerative rectal colitis?
My husband had a very severe flare-up of ulcerative rectocolitis, such that he required hospitalization. He is currently taking 70 milligrams of deltacortene/day. We have read some medical studies about taking Omega-3 to facilitate the remission of the crisis as well as the decrease of cortisone. She is taking 3 grams per day of Omegor Vitality 500 (15 pearls of 500). Is she doing the correct thing?
Dear Elena,
Omega-3s have a modular action on the immune system that is an excellent adjunct in controlling diseases such as ulcerative rectocolitis.
EPA and DHA (long-chain omega-3 fatty acids) are able to inhibit the aggressiveness of NK cells (natural killer cells) and lymphokine-activated cells (cells normally found in the immune system), which act impaired in patients with ulcerative colitis.
Omega-3 regulates the production of Leukotriene-4 and arachidonic acid which are the substances that can activate Natural Killer and CALs. In 2 studies (Hallmallah YZ et al. J. Clin. Immunol. 2000 and Hallmallah YZ et al. Eur J Clin Invest 2000) 3.2 grams of EPA and 2.4 grams of DHA were used with very good results, while Sijiben et al. 2007 states that there are beneficial effects from 0.2 to 7 grams of EPA+DHA per day.
Your husband is currently taking 4.5 grams of EPA/DHA daily. Before embarking on new drug treatments, it is advisable to consult your family doctor. I hope I have been comprehensive and clear in my reply, thank you for consulting us, and I invite you to write to us again whenever you have any doubts about this matter.
Sincerely,
Dr. Francesca Marini Phd Pharmacist and Pharmaceutical Chemist
