DHA and Liver disease The health benefits of fish oil already abound.
Now scientists from Oregon State University have disovered that omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA, could be valuable in preventing fatty liver disease.
The research was one of the first to use “metabolomics,” an analysis of metabolites that reflect the many biological effects of omega-3 fatty acids on the liver.
It also explored the challenges the liver faces from the “Western diet” that increasingly is linked to liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis and sometimes liver failure.
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Supplementation with DHA partially or totally prevented metabolic damage through those pathways often linked to the Western diet – excessive consumption of red meat, sugar, saturated fat and processed grains.
Donald Jump PhD
“Most studies on these nutrients find effects on lipid metabolism and inflammation. Our metabolomics analysis indicates that the effects of omega-3 fatty acids extend beyond that, and include carbohydrate, amino acid and vitamin metabolism,” said Donald Jump PhD, a professor in the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences.
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Studies at OSU have concluded that DHA has far more ability than EPA to prevent the formation of harmful metabolites. In one study, it was found that DHA supplementation reduced the proteins involved in liver fibrosis by more than 65 percent.
“A lot of work has been done on fatty liver disease, and we are just beginning to explore the potential for DHA in preventing or slowing disease progression,” said Proessor Jump, who is also a principal investigator in OSU’s Linus Pauling Institute.
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This study established that the main target of DHA in the liver is the control of inflammation, oxidative stress and fibrosis, which are the characteristics of more progressively serious liver problems. Omega-3 fatty acids appear to keep cells from responding to and being damaged by whatever is causing inflammation.
Their studies also suggest that “DHA may reduce the formation of harmful glucose metabolites linked to diabetic complications.”
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Both diabetes and liver disease are increasing steadily in the United States. The American Liver Foundation has estimated that about 25 percent of the nation’s population, and 75 percent of those who are obese, have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which can progress to steatohepatitis, cirrhosis and cancer.
Reference:
“A Metabolomic Analysis of Omega-3 Fatty Acid-Mediated Attenuation of Western Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis in LDLR-/- Mice,”Christopher M. Depner,Maret G. Traber,Gerd Bobe,Elizabeth Kensicki,Kurt M. Bohren,Ginger Milne,Donald B. Jump, PLOS One December 17, 2013
- See more at: https://pilladvised.com/2014/03/dha-helps-prevent-fatty-liver-disease-3/#more-17672