If you’ve got arthritis, or if you want to avoid it, eat more fish. Alternative doctors have used fish and fish oil for years to treat osteoarthritis. But science has been slow to confirm what they know. Now it’s finally catching up.
British researchers found for the first time that the omega-3 fats in fish oil reduce the symptoms. At least, they did in laboratory animals prone to this inflammatory disease.
In this study, the researchers gave omega-3 fish oil to guinea pigs. Guinea pigs naturally develop osteoarthritis. And the researchers wanted to find out if the fish oil could stop this genetic progression.
Sure enough, it did. What’s more, the researchers conducting the study said the reduction was “substantial and significant.” The study showed that fish oil can reduce the disease by 50% compared to a standard diet.
The researchers measured the break-down of collagen in cartilage and the loss of molecules that give it shock-absorbing properties. These are classic early signs of the disease. Lead researcher Dr. John Tarlton, from the Matrix Biology Research group at the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences, said there’s more to this discovery.
Dr. Tarlton said, “Furthermore, there was strong evidence that omega-3 influences the biochemistry of the disease. Therefore, it not only helps prevent it, but also slows its progression, potentially controlling established osteoarthritis.”
That means fish oil not only prevents the disease, but treats it. This study doesn’t prove that fish oil will help your disease – only that of a guinea pig. But decades of experience from alternative-minded health professionals says it works on humans. So if you have osteoarthritis, fish oil must be a part of your supplement regimen.
I’ve talked about eating fish and taking fish oil for years. As a result, you probably know it’s almost impossible to find fish that doesn’t contain some impurities, including toxic mercury. I still think eating fish once or twice a week is important for the good protein it contains. But you’ll need to detoxify the heavy metals with a product like PectaSol Chelation Complex.
Unfortunately, eating fish once or twice a week won’t provide enough omega-3s to prevent and reverse osteoporosis. And eating it more often can overload your body with mercury. So I recommend taking a high-quality fish oil, such as ProThera’s EicosaMax. It is guaranteed contaminate-free. There are other high-quality fish oils on the market. Just make sure the manufacturer guarantees its purity.
Your voice of reason in Women’s Health,
Dr. Nan Kathryn Fuchs, PhD
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