PUBLISHED 10/10/2007
The next time you're shopping for ibuprofen or some other anti-inflammatory, consider picking up a couple of salmon fillets while you're at it. Your achy knees will thank you.
For some time, the popular fish has been viewed as one of the best dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids, a group of polyunsaturated fats that is more commonly connected to heart health. But new research now links the anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3s--which are also found in other fatty fish and plant-based foods like walnuts and flaxseed--to the relief of joint pain associated with arthritis or exercise.
In fact, "scientific evidence is leading us to believe that omega-3s may not only alleviate joint pain, but may also prevent it," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D., a dietitian with Northwestern Memorial Hospital Wellness Institute in Chicago and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "Omega-3s are one of the key nutrients every runner should have in their diet." And not just for pain relief. Research has also shown that omega-3s may help prevent exercise-induced asthma. For some people, vigorous exercise can trigger a narrowing of the airways, restricting airflow. In a study from Indiana University, three weeks of fish-oil supplementation helped subjects extinguish airway inflammation and improve postexercise lung function by 64 percent.
A Natural Painkiller
At the forefront of the omega-3/joint-pain research is Joseph Maroon, M.D., a neurosurgeon at the University of Pittsburgh and an Ironman competitor. Since 2004, he has conducted several clinical studies that show omega-3s to be as effective as prescription medication at easing arthritis-related joint pain. One of his studies supplied 1,200 milligrams of DHA and EPA--two forms of omega-3s that seem to be the most effective--to 250 men and women with neck or back pain. After a month, 59 percent of those who popped fish-oil pills were free enough of pain to discontinue their use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Earlier this year, Canadian researchers bolstered Maroon's findings. Their analysis of 17 studies suggests that omega-3s effectively reduce joint-pain intensity and the number of tender joints.
"Whether by running or other forms of stress or 'injury,' our bodies are always producing inflammatory substances," says Dr. Maroon. Omega-3s counter that production, Maroon adds, by enhancing the creation of the natural anti-inflammatory prostaglandin E3, thus reducing the body's level of tissue inflammation. Reduce inflammation and you hurt less and heal faster.
