Printer Friendly
The Free Library
4,546,709 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

The right fats: omega-3 fatty acids soothe inflamed colons. (Science News This Week).


A diet containing fish oil, which is rich in healthful omega-3 fatty acids, reduces symptoms of a colitis-like condition in rats RATS - Radar Acquisition & Tracking System
RATS - Radar Altimeter Target Simulator
RATS - Radio Amateur Transmitting Society (Nashville, TN, USA)
RATS - Radio Astronomy Team
RATS - Radio-Amateur Telecommunications Society
RATS - Random Access Timeslot
RATS - Rapid Area Transportation Support
RATS - Redwood Action Team at Stanford
RATS - Reengineered Automated Travel System
RATS - Regression Analysis of Time Series (Estima Software)
, according to new research. The finding suggests that a proper dietary balance of beneficial fats FATS - Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences
FATS - Findings Automated Tracking System (Air Force Inspector General inspection programs)
FATS - Firearms Training Simulator
FATS - Firearms Training System
FATS - For the Advancement of the S4
FATS - Forward Area Target Surveillance System
FATS - Fully Automated Trading System
 could be an effective component of therapy in similarly affected people.

Ulcerative colitis, an inflammation of the colon that results in chronic abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea, and a related disorder called Crohn's disease, which produces similar inflammation in the small intestine, are together known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Genetic factors (SN: 5/26/01, p. 327), infectious agents (SN: 11/9/96, p. 302), and diet all appear to play roles in these diseases, which affect up to 5 individuals per 1,000 in industrialized countries. Steroids and other treatments can reduce inflammation, but a cure remains elusive.

To test whether the relative amounts of essential fatty acids in the diet affects colitis-related damage, Natalia Nieto and her colleagues at the University of Granada in Spain induced ulcerative colitis in a group of rats by administering a substance known as trinitrobenzene sulfonic sul·fon·ic (sl-fnk)
adj.
 acid through a tube into the animals' colons.

The researchers then divided the rats into three groups and fed each a diet that differed in its sources of fats but had the same low amount of fat overall. One group of rats received its fat allotment in oils from olives, soybeans, and coconuts. Another group consumed these vegetable oils plus animal fat--from pig brains. The diet of a third set of rats contained a mixture of the vegetable oils plus fish oil.

Fish oil, fatty fish such as tuna, canola off, flaxseed flaxseed /flax·seed/ (flak´sed) linseed., and some nuts are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids omega-3 fatty acid
n.
Any of various polyunsaturated polyunsaturated /poly·un·sat·u·rat·ed/ (-un-sach´er-at-ed) denoting a chemical compound, particularly a fatty acid, having two or more double or triple bonds in its hydrocarbon chain.

pol·y·un·sat·u·rat·ed (p
 fatty acids that are found primarily in fish, fish oils, vegetable oils, and leafy green vegetables, and that seem to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack.
, which are nutritionally essential polyunsaturated fats. Most essential fatty acids in other foods belong to the omega-6 family. Animal fats and many vegetable oils also contain large quantities of nonessential non·es·sen·tial (nn-sn saturated fats.

The rats on the diet containing fish oil got less than twice as much omega-6 fats as omega-3 fats, while animals receiving the other two regimens got up to 12.5 times as much omega-6 as omega-3 fat. By many indicators, including visual and microscopic evaluation of the colon and analysis of blood enzymes that indicate the degree of colon injury, the rats on the diet containing the fish oil fared the best. According to some of these indicators, the rats receiving only vegetable oils were significantly healthier than those on the diet containing pig fat, but they still suffered more colon injury than those consuming fish oil, the researchers report in the January Journal of Nutrition.

The study bolsters evidence that "dietary fat manipulation ... can be a supportive or additional treatment option for IBD patients," says Ryosuke Shoda of the International Medical Center of Japan in Tokyo.

However, under clinical conditions, it's difficult to achieve the low ratio of omega-6 fats to omega-3 fats used in the rat diet containing fish oil, Shoda says. He cautions also that artificially induced colitis may not be a suitable model for the human disease.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Science Service, Inc.
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2002, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

 Reader Opinion

Title:

Comment:



 

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Author:Harder, B.
Publication:Science News
Article Type:Brief Article
Date:Jan 26, 2002
Words:506
Previous Article:Biology of rank: social status sets up monkeys' cocaine use. (Science News This Week).(Brief Article)
Next Article:Anthrax-toxin component deciphered. (Science News This Week).(Brief Article)
Topics:



Related Articles
Bear evidence of omega-3's benefits. (polar bears may have healthy eating habits) (Brief Article)
Boning up on fish oil.(research indicates omega-3 fats promote bone formation)(Brief Article)
OIL RIGHT FOR HEARTS.(omega-3 fats in some vegetable oils)(Brief Article)
The American Heart Association Calls for Eating Fish Twice per Week What's a Vegetarian to Do?
Alzheimer's advance: omega-3 fatty acid benefits mice.(This Week)
Omega 3 Fatty Acids.(Your nutrition questions: answered)(Brief Article)
Fats and prostate cancer.(Scientific update: a review of recent scientific papers related to vegetarian)(Brief Article)
Pigging out healthfully: engineered pork has more omega-3s.(This Week)
Omega-3 fatty acids for vegetarians.(Scientific Update: A Review of Recent Scientific Papers Related to Vegetarianism)
Flaxseed oil improves blood omega-3 fatty acid concentrations.(Scientific Update: A Review of Recent Scientific Papers Related to...

Terms of use | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters | Submit articles