More benefits of fish oil shown

Fish oil supplementation is a key component of both the Swank Diet and the Best Bet Diet, two unproven dietary strategies to treating MS that have many adherents despite limited research behind them. Several prior studies have found at least one way that fish oil (2 unsaturated fats called EPA and DHA, the omega 3 fatty acids) may be beneficial--by acting as an anti-inflammatory, which has been presumed to be helpful for those with MS.

New research presented as a poster at the AAN meeting(free reg required) shows that fish oil has an additional beneficial action for those with MS--by acting as an MMP-9 inhibitor. MMPs are enzymes which contribute to cellular repair. If their levels are too high, however, as they are in PwMS, they have been demonstrated to cause leakage of the blood brain barrier (which normally protects the CNS), kill neuronal cells and contribute to demyelination. Inhibiting the action of these overactive MMPs should therefore beneficial to those with MS. Note that this is the same mechanism by which minocycline appears to work in PWMS.

In the test noted, after 3 months of supplementation with a daily dose of 1900 mg DHA and 2900 mg of EPA, MMP-9 levels were decreased by 52% compared to a control group supplemented with olive oil