Diet Supplements that Reduce Inflammation
Chronic inflammation is a factor known to contribute to the development of chronic diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and heart disease. Many dietary supplements are believed to reduce inflammatory processes and reduce one’s risk for disease, but evidence supporting these claims is limited.
A new study at the Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington reveals that regular intake of fish oil supplements, chondroitin and glucosamine, which are available as over-the-counter dietary supplements, reduces inflammation, suggesting that they may help prevent chronic diseases.
Elizabeth D. Kantor, a PhD candidate at the research center, and colleagues analyzed data on the effects of the dietary supplements in almost 10,000 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They report in the American Journal of Epidemiology, that the regular use of chondroitin, glucosamine, or fish oil significantly reduced serum hs-CRP, a marker of inflammation by 16-22 percent, after adjusting for other factors like age, race, gender, body mass index, and smoking history. They also noted that the results were significant for women but not for men.
The research also included the use of other supplements like methylsulfonylmethane, pycnogenol, ginkgo biloba, garlic, and saw palmetto, but these were not associated with reduced inflammation.
The authors state that the importance of the effect observed with these supplements is comparable to the previous observations on the association between statins ( a drug used to treat high cholesterol) and CRP, suggesting a biologic mechanism to support findings linking the use of glucosamine and chondroitin and reduced risk of chronic diseases.
Source:
Kelly, J. Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Fish Oil May Reduce Inflammation. Medscape.
Posted in: Anti-inflammatory, Health Supplements, Inflammation, News Briefs
Tags: chronic diseases, chronic inflammation, effects of the dietary supplements, prevent chronic diseases
