Omega-3 vetzuren tegen ontstekingen.*

Uit een nieuwe studie blijkt meer over de achtergronden hoe omega-3 vetzuren werken tegen ontstekingen.  De omega-3 vetzuren verminderen de vorming van bepaalde prostagladines fors, de prostagladines die ontstekingen, pijn en zwellingen veroorzaken. Vetzuren kunnen de vorming stimuleren. Nu blijkt dat omega-3 vetzuren veel minder prostagladines doet vormen dan omega-6 vetzuren. De prostagladines die gevormd worden uit omega-3 vetzuren blijken ook nog 2-50 keer minder actief te zijn dan zij die gevormd worden uit omega-6 vetzuren. Verder concurreren de omega-3 vetzuren met de omega-6 vetzuren in de vorming van prostagladines samen met het COX enzym. Het COX enzym zet omega-6 vetzuren om in prostagladines. Hoe meer omega-3 vetzuur voor handen is des te minder omega-6 vetzuren kunnen omgezet worden.  Het advies is dus: eet meer vis!

Anti-inflammatory Effects Of Omega 3 Fatty Acid In Fish Oil Linked To Lowering Of Prostaglandin

Omega 3 fatty acids in dietary fish oil are reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombogenic and anti-arrhythmic effects in humans, but the biochemical basis for these beneficial health effects is not well understood. Now a University of Michigan biochemist reports that fish oil significantly diminishes the production and effectiveness of various prostaglandins, naturally occurring hormone-like substances that can accentuate inflammation and thrombosis.
Dr. William L. Smith described his findings on April at Experimental Biology 2006 in San Francisco. His presentation was part of the scientific program of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB).
Dietary fish oil causes its prostaglandin-lowering effects through three different mechanisms, says Dr. Smith.
First, the much fewer prostaglandins are made from omega 3 fatty acids as compared to the other class of fatty acids in the body, the omega 6 family of fatty acids that originate in the diet from leafy vegetables and other plant sources.
Second, the omega 3 fatty acids compete with omega 6 fatty acids for the same binding site on the COX 1 enzyme that converts the omega 6 fatty acids to prostaglandin (which is why the COX 1 enzyme and its COX 2 cousin are the targets of anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen). The more omega 3 fatty acids present to block the binding sites, the fewer omega 6 fatty acids are able to be converted to prostaglandin.
Third, although omega 3 fatty acids also are converted to prostaglandins, the prostaglandins formed from omega 3 are generally 2 to 50 times less active than those formed from the omega 6 fatty acids from dietary plants.
The biochemical basis of other benefits of dietary fish oil - for example, omega 3 fatty acids' impact on neuronal development and visual acuity -- are probably due to effects on biochemical pathways regulating nerve transmission. Understanding the different pathways through which omega 3 works to convert prostaglandin helps explain why the plant-based omega 6 fatty acids don't simply provide the same benefits. Because of omega 3 fatty acids' known benefits to health, especially cardiovascular health, Dr. Smith's advice is simple: eat more fish.  (mei 2006)