{"id":4976,"date":"2024-04-16T07:00:12","date_gmt":"2024-04-16T11:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/?p=4976"},"modified":"2024-04-09T22:26:27","modified_gmt":"2024-04-10T02:26:27","slug":"do-omega-3s-reduce-osteoarthritis-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/do-omega-3s-reduce-osteoarthritis-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Omega-3s Reduce Osteoarthritis Pain?"},"content":{"rendered":"

How Do Rheumatoid And Osteoarthritis Differ?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"knee<\/a>This week I am concluding my series on recent omega-3 advances by reviewing a meta-analysis that asks whether omega-3s are beneficial for people with osteoarthritis.<\/p>\n

This is an important question because osteoarthritis affects around 32.5 million adults in the United States, and that number is increasing each year as our population ages. Osteoarthritis causes pain and disabilities that can significantly affect quality of life.<\/p>\n

And the costs are high. Health care costs due to osteoporosis are around $140 billion\/year. And when you include lost workdays, the annual cost is around $468 billion.<\/p>\n

There are several medications for reducing symptoms of osteoarthritis. But they each have side effects and some patients cannot tolerate them. Joint replacement surgery is the final resort. But the recovery period is long, and the surgery isn\u2019t always effective. For both reasons many patients with osteoarthritis are looking for natural solutions.<\/p>\n

Most of the research on omega-3s and arthritis has been done with patients who have rheumatoid arthritis. Omega-3 supplements have been shown to reduce the pain, swelling of the joints, and inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis for many people with the disease.<\/p>\n

Based on several dose-response studies, the NIH says the optimal dose is around 2.7 gm\/day of EPA + DHA but cautions not to go above 3 gm\/day without your doctor\u2019s OK.<\/p>\n

The evidence is less clear for omega-3s and osteoarthritis. Some studies suggest that EPA + DHA reduce the pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis. But other studies have come up empty. There is no consensus as to whether omega-3s are beneficial for people with osteoarthritis.<\/p>\n

When there is disagreement between individual studies, a meta-analysis of the studies is often helpful. By pooling the data from multiple studies, a meta-analysis can smooth out some of the differences between the studies and accumulate enough data points to discover effects that would not have been statistically significant with the smaller data sets from individual studies.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, the authors of this manuscript (W Den et al, Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, 18: 381, 3023<\/a><\/span>) performed a meta-analysis on the data obtained from 9 double-blind, placebo-controlled studies looking at the effect of omega-3s versus a placebo on both pain and joint mobility in osteoarthritis patients.<\/p>\n

How Do Rheumatoid And Osteoarthritis Differ?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>While the causes of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are very different, there are some underlying similarities between the two diseases that suggest both might benefit from omega-3 supplementation.<\/p>\n

Rheumatoid Arthritis<\/strong>:<\/span> Rheumatoid arthritis is thought to be an autoimmune disease, which means that our immune system attacks our cells rather than foreign invaders. It results in chronic inflammation that attacks our joints and can affect other tissues in our body.<\/p>\n

It initially affects the lining of our joints which can result in painful, swollen joints. As the disease progresses it can also lead to bone erosion and joint deformity.<\/p>\n

Osteoarthritis:<\/strong><\/span>\"\"<\/a>Osteoarthritis is generally thought of as a \u201cwear and tear\u201d disease. It is associated with sports injuries and accidents. It is also associated with stress to particular joints due to repeated motions associated with either sports or a job. Obesity also increases wear and tear of the joints because it increases the load on the joints.<\/p>\n

The wear and tear causes the cartilage that cushions the junction between bones to deteriorate. Eventually, the cartilage deteriorates to the extent that bone is grinding against bone, which can lead to bone loss and deformities.<\/p>\n

Eventually, this results in an inflammation of the joint lining which causes pain and accelerates bone loss. It also causes deterioration of the connective tissue which holds bones together and connects them to muscle.<\/p>\n

What Do These Diseases Have In Common?<\/strong><\/span> Inflammation is the common factor associated with both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, and many studies suggest that omega-3s reduce inflammation. In the simplistic description of the two diseases I shared above, it sounds like inflammation occurs much earlier in the disease process for rheumatoid arthritis than for osteoarthritis. This might suggest that omega-3s could be more effective at reducing the symptoms and progression of rheumatoid arthritis than of osteoarthritis.<\/p>\n

However, we know that the risk of developing osteoarthritis is increased by chronic inflammation caused by obesity, diseases like diabetes, and\/or an inflammatory diet<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

How Was This Study Done?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"clinical<\/a>This study was a meta-analysis of 9 double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical studies looking at the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on the pain and loss of joint mobility associated with osteoarthritis. These studies were performed in countries from around the world and included a total of 2,070 participants.<\/p>\n

The criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis were:<\/p>\n

1) The articles were written in English.<\/p>\n

2) The studies had to be double-blind, placebo-controlled studies (The gold standard for clinical studies).<\/p>\n

3) Patients with osteoarthritis were randomly assigned to an intervention group receiving omega-3 supplementation or a placebo group receiving olive oil or another plant oil.<\/p>\n

4) The studies measured efficacy and safety outcomes including joint pain (efficacy), joint mobility (efficacy), and treatment-related adverse events (safety).<\/p>\n

5) Patients in both the omega-3 and placebo groups were using medications to reduce osteoarthritis symptoms when they were enrolled in the study and were advised to continue with their prescribed medicines for the duration of the study.<\/p>\n

The characteristics of the clinical studies included in this meta-analysis were:<\/p>\n