*Oink* Fish Oil Boosts Immune System in Pigs!
Great news if you’re a pig! Adding daily supplements of fish oil to your trough can improve your immune system!
When animal physiologist Jeff Carroll was with the Animal Physiology Research Unit in Columbia, Mo., he worked with Gary Allee, a swine nutritionist at the University of Missouri, to investigate the benefit of adding various natural supplements to pig diets. They found that fish oil in young weaned pigs’ diets can help build up their immune systems.
Carroll, currently the research leader at the Livestock Issues Research Unit located north of Lubbock, Texas, says it’s been known that fish oils containing long-chain omega-3 fatty acids can be nutritious additions to a person’s diet because they appear to lower the risk of cholesterol and heart disease. However, the Columbia studies showed that compared to corn oil and other supplements, different levels of menhaden fish oil helped 18-day-old pigs better prepare to fight off endotoxin challenges. The omega-3 fatty acids are absorbed through the intestine and help the immune cells cope with disease. U.S. producers could benefit from this finding because fish oil is less expensive than antibiotics.
That last statement is most important. Pretty soon, not only will we not have to worry about antibiotics in our meats, but we’ll also be getting more omega-3 fatty acids as well.
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I HAVE RHEMATOID(SIC) ARTHRITIS. WHAT GOOD LITERATURE IS THERE OR STUDIES PUBLISHED RELATING FISH OIL TO THE AUTO IMMUNE DESEASE RHEMATOID ARTHRITIS? DOES FISH OIL (OMEGA-3) HELP RA?
Generally it is assumed that the intake of fish oil is beneficial for the body’s immune function.
However on some websites I found these alarming observations:
1/ Taking large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids may be unwise for those with weakened immunity. Researchers at the University of Missouri, Columbia, have
been studying omega-3s for many years now and know that one of their effects is to damp down inflammation. That’s why fish oils - rich in omega-3s -
often benefit those with arthritis, a painful inflammatory condition of the joints. Yet the inflammatory response is a key component of the immune system in fighting infection.
The Missouri team studied how mice responded to bacterial infection when given diets containing either fish oil or no fish oil. Those on fish oil were slower to respond to the infection and more likely to die. This doesn’t mean you should throw away your supplements, but be aware that very large doses may compromise your ability to fight infection - especially if you have reason to believe your immune system isn’t as strong as it might be. The researchers are trying to better understand how omega-3s undermine the immune system - and may then be able to figure out ways of preventing this from happening.
http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Omega-3-fatty-acids-impair-immunity-531-1/ - 34k
2/ More about about fish oil (omega 3- derivatives) in relation to immune function.
“… [S]tudies indicate that at the levels used, fish oil [largely omega 3 derivatives] decreases a wide range of immune cell responses.such as natural killer cell and cytotoxic T lymphocyte activities, lymphocyte proliferation and production of IL-2 and IFN-y (1,2)
“… Recent studies have indicated that relatively low levels of the long chain omega 3 fatty acids (EPA or DHA at a level of . % oftotal fatty acids or 1.7% of dietary energy) are sufficient to bring about some of the suppressive effects, that dietary EPA and DHA both inhibit lymphocyte proliferation, and that dietary EPA but not DHA inhibits natural killer cell activity.”
Reference : The report is titled “Omega 3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Inflammation and Immunity,” by Philip C. Calder, Institute of Human Nutrition, University of Southampton, Bassett Crescent East, Southampton, UK.
“…[S]tudies indicate that at the levels used, fish oil [mainly omega 3 derivatives] decrease a wide range of immune cell responses (natural killer cell, cytotoxic T lymphocyte activities, lymphocyte proliferation and production of IL-2 and IFN-y (1,2))…”7
• “…Recent studies have indicated that relatively low levels of the long chain omega 3 fatty acids (EPA or DHA—omega 3 derivatives)…are sufficient to bring about some of the suppressive effects …”
• “… This decrease (of inhibited lymphocyte proliferation and natural killer cell activity) causes increased cellular bacteria [infection] and impaired tumor cell killing.”
Reference : Current Atherosclerosis Reports; 6:46 - 467, 004, Mori, Trevor, et al., “Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Inflammation.”
3/ And on the website http://www.hdlighthouse.org/see/immune/fishoil.htm
Caution Against High Doses of Fish Oil Supplements
Large Amounts Might Compromise Disease Resistance
Kevin Fritsche, Associate Professor of Nutritional Immunology,
“It appears fish oil causes a decrease in the production of a molecule that helps to shape the immune response”
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Known as a cholesterol reducer and a protective agent for the heart, Omega-3 fatty acids — also known as fish oils — have received much attention from scientists in the past two decades. However, for all their benefits, a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher recommends that those with weakened immune systems should avoid large doses of fish oil.
“When the benefits of fish oil were first recognized, they were thought to be a ‘magic bullet,’” said Kevin Fritsche, associate professor of animal and nutritional sciences. “However, the influence Omega-3 fatty acids have on immune cell function indicates that under some circumstances, disease resistance is impaired.”
Fritsche has studied Omega-3 fatty acids since 1982. Interest in the oils began after researchers discovered that Greenland Eskimos had a low incidence of death caused by cardiovascular diseases, despite the fact that their diet of marine fish was high in fat and cholesterol. Soon after this finding, other health benefits started to be uncovered.
“Among the benefits researchers found was that, in large amounts, Omega-3s had an anti-inflammatory effect,” he said. “While this in itself can be beneficial to those suffering from inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, our research indicates that those with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly, could be at risk if they are taking large amounts of fish oil for therapeutic reasons.”
Fritsche explained that inflammation plays a key role in the body’s defense against infection. It acts like an alarm, notifying the immune system that an infectious agent, such as bacteria, has been detected. In addition, inflammation is designed to help slow the spread of the infection through the body.
In his research, Fritsche studied how mice responded to bacterial infection after being fed diets containing varied levels of two specific Omega-3 fatty acids. He found that mice fed diets containing fish oils responded slower to infection and were more likely to die from the infection than mice fed diets containing no fish oil.
“It appears fish oil causes a decrease in the production of a molecule that helps to shape the immune response, but we don’t know what the long-term consequences are to the immune system,” he said. “Our goal now is to determine why and how this impairment of the immune system occurs. If we can figure out the mechanisms behind it, we might be able to prevent it.”
4/ Finally on the website lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/omega3fa
Potential for Immune System Suppression: Although the suppression of inflammatory responses resulting from increased omega-3 fatty acid intakes may benefit individuals with inflammatory or autoimmune diseases, anti-inflammatory doses of omega-3 fatty acids could decrease the potential of the immune system to destroy pathogens (153). Studies comparing measures of immune cell function outside the body (ex vivo) at baseline and after supplementing people with omega-3 fatty acids, mainly EPA and DHA, have demonstrated immunosuppressive effects at doses as low as 0.9 g/day for EPA and 0.6 g/day for DHA (1). Although it is not clear if these findings translate to impaired immune responses in vivo, caution should be observed when considering omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in individuals with compromised immune systems.
153. Harbige LS. Fatty acids, the immune response, and autoimmunity: a question of n-6 essentiality and the balance between n-6 and n-3. Lipids. 2003;38(4):323-341. (PubMed)
1. Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Washington, D. C.: National Academies Press; 2002. National Academies Press