New research reveals eating whole fish cold help reduce arthritic pain, swelling
23 Jun 2017
New research has revealed that eating whole fish could help reduce the pain and swelling of rheumatoid arthritis.
Researchers have found that those consuming fish more than twice a week had significantly lower rheumatoid arthritis symptoms than subjects who never ate fish or ate it less than once per month. The symptoms further reduced with each additional serving helped.
The findings are from a survey that looked at the diets of 176 people and considered the relationship between fish consumption and disease symptoms.
"Our findings suggest that higher intake of fish may be associated with lower disease activity in RA patients. With that type of improvement, we would generally expect that a patient would feel noticeably better," said lead study author Dr Sara Tedeschi, an associate physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and lead author of the study in Arthritis Care and Research, Time reported.
According to the researchers though, the study was an observational measurement, one that did not prove or disprove the impact of fish on RA symptoms.
The conclusions were however, "clinically significant" because of the major reductions in RA symptoms the fish eaters experienced.
Dr Sara Tedeschi, lead author of the study in Arthritis Care and Research said, "If our finding holds up in other studies it suggests that fish consumption may lower inflammation related to rheumatoid arthritis disease activity. Fish consumption has been noted to have many beneficial health effects, and our findings may give patients with rheumatoid arthritis a strong reason to increase fish consumption."
The study used estimated fish intake over the past year and how big the portion was.
Fish with higher Omega 3 oil content were selected including tuna, salmon, sardines, raw fish such as sashimi or sushi, and grilled, steamed baked trout, sole, halibut, grouper and poke.
The study did not include fried fish as, according to the researchers, frying reduced Omega 3 content.
