Daily Times

Eating fish twice a week helps relieve the symptoms of arthritis, a study has found. People who ate fish twice a week suffered less from swollen or tender joints than those who never ate fish.

The study also found that people who ate even more than just two servings of fish were less likely to have rheumatoid arthritis.

Previous research has found that taking fish oil supplements – high in Omega 3 fatty acids – also relieve joint pain associated with arthritis.

But the researchers wanted to see if the effect was also present when whole fish were eaten.

Dr Sara Tedeschi, lead author of the study in Arthritis Care and Research said: ‘If our finding holds up in other studies it suggests that fish consumption may lower inflammation related to rheumatoid arthritis disease activity.

“Fish consumption has been noted to have many beneficial health effects, and our findings may give patients with rheumatoid arthritis a strong reason to increase fish consumption.”

In the study, 176 rheumatism patients living in Baltimore estimated how often they ate fish over the past year and how big the portion was.

Fish with higher Omega 3 oil content were selected. The fish were tuna, salmon, sardines, raw fish such as sashimi or sushi, and grilled, steamed baked trout, sole, halibut, grouper and poke.

Fried fish were not included in the study – the researchers said frying reduces Omega 3 content.

Levels of inflammation, as measured by tests of a marker in the blood called DAS28-CRP were significantly lower among those eating fish twice or more a week compared to those who never ate it. The effect increased the more fish was eaten.

The effect, however, was about a third as high as the reduction in pain produced by taking the drug methoxetrate, a standard drug treatment for rheumatism.

The researchers said the study subjects were mainly white, well-educated, married patients with longstanding rheumatoid arthritis.

Previous research has found that taking fish oil supplements – which include Omega 3 fatty acids – also improve rheumatism symptoms.

Dr Benjamin Ellis, rheumatologist and Arthritis Research UK spokesperson said, “There are many things beyond medication that people with rheumatoid arthritis can do to improve their health, such as not smoking and keeping physically active. There is also some scientific evidence that dietary changes, such as eating fish in this study, can help to manage symptoms. It’s important so stress that eating fish does not replace medical treatments. However, this study provides evidence that, for some, combining it with their treatment plan could improve their pain and stiffness.”

Published in Daily Times, June 22nd, 2017.