Omega-3s for Anti-Inflammation

Inflammation is critical element of the body’s immune response. Over time, chronic inflammation can trigger your immune system to attack healthy tissue and organs in your body. That’s why the treatment for many IBD’s such as Crohn’s Disease involves the management of inflammation through treatments such as biologics.

The standard american diet, even most western diets, consists of a lot of foods that can raise inflammation markers in the body. Most notably, foods that contain a lot of Omega-6 fatty acids which is found in corn oil and fatty, processed foods. It’s not that Omega-6 fatty acids are body for you, it’s actually the opposite; they play an important role in regulating our genes and promote immune health. It’s the lack of Omega-3s that balance out the Omega-6s in the standard american diet that will be looking at in this article.

Omega-3 fatty acids help all the cells in your body function as they should. They’re a vital part of your cell membranes, helping to provide structure and supporting interactions between cells. Studies indicate that omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties and, therefore, might be useful in the management of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

What are the best dietary sources of omega-3?

Fish is a good source of Omega-3s. Salmon, anchovies, mackerel, herring, and sardines just to name a few.

What if I don’t like fish?

You can choose to supplement your Omega-3s with a high quality fish oil that contains both DHA and EPA. A good dose would be 2g to 4g of fish oil daily with a ratio of around 2:1 EPA to DHA. There are many fish oil supplements on the market and the cheap ones don’t contain enough EPA/DHA to meet this dose unless you want to swallow 6 pills a day. A good value with 2g of fish oil would be something like this:

Omega-3 fatty acids play a critical role in human health. One of those roles is enhancing immune function which in turn can lead to anti-inflammation. As always, when considering adding a supplement to your regimen, contact your physician if you have any concerns.