Supplement could slash reliance on potentially harmful drugs by more than 30%, say scientists
Cod liver oil could benefit rheumatoid arthritis patients
Published:
A team of Scottish scientists have uncovered evidence that cod liver oil can help people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis cut their reliance on potentially harmful drugs.
Research by experts from Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, and Dundee University shows that people taking a cod liver oil supplement could slash their reliance on anti-inflammatory drugs by more than 30%.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) costs the NHS £5.5billion every year and many patients take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include ibuprofen.
But in high doses these have been linked to side-effects including increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and gastrointestinal bleeding.
Doses given for conditions such as arthritis are much higher than for people who use the drugs as occasional painkillers.
The Tayside experts analysed 97 patients with RA who took NSAIDs and they were given either 10g of cod liver oil or “dummy” pills.
At 12 weeks, patients were instructed to gradually reduce and, if possible, stop their NSAID intake.
Out of 49 patients in the cod liver oil group, 19 (39%) were able to have cut their daily NSAID requirement by more than 30% after nine months, compared with just five (10%) of the 48 people in the placebo group. The authors said the findings were important at a time “when there are increasing concerns about adverse events associated with NSAID use.”
Professor Jill Belch, from the Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee, said: “This study offers hope to many rheumatoid arthritis patients for whom cod liver oil supplements can offer a natural pain-management treatment without the harmful side-effects associated with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs.
“It reinforces previous research that has shown cod liver oil to have significant anti-inflammatory properties in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.”
National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society chief executive Ailsa Bosworth said: “People with rheumatoid arthritis still rely heavily on anti-inflammatories, even though the safety of these drugs is under scrutiny. It’s in this context that this new research provides promising new evidence that cod liver oil may reduce the need for anti-inflammatories.”
