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Cod Liver Oil May Help Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients |
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Written by MMF.com
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Some rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who took a 10g daily dose of cod liver oil cut their use of painkilling non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by 30 percent, says a study by researchers at Dundee University in the U.K.
The nine-month trial of about 60 patients found that 39 percent of those who took cod liver oil reduced their use of NSIADs, compared to 10 percent of patients who took a placebo, BBC News reported. Reduced NSAID use was not associated with any worsening of pain or disease.
The study was published in the journal Rheumatology.
Concerns about the side effects of NSAIDs have led researchers to look for alternative treatments. It's believed that fatty acids in cod liver oil have anti-inflammatory properties, BBC News reported.
Since this was a small study, it's difficult to draw any firm conclusions, said Dr. Andrew Bamji, president of the British Society for Rheumatology.
"It does look as if the results are positive and that is quite interesting," he told BBC News.
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