Omega-3 fatty acids good for rheumatism patients

Omega-3 fatty acids are good for rheumatism patients

12/10/2014

Rheumatoid patients should increasingly resort to foods containing omega-3 fatty acids, as they have an anti-inflammatory effect and also help to reduce the effects of inflammation on the joints, says Jörg Wendler from the German Association of Rheumatologists (BDRh). Omega-3 fatty acids are predominantly contained in linseed, walnut or soybean oil as well as high-fat fish. In addition, the reveratrol contained in red wine has an anti-inflammatory effect.

„Professor Verena Dirsch from the University of Vienna explains that the natural substance resveratrol contained in red wine has a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases. "Saturated fatty acids, which predominantly affect foods such as red meat or high-fat ones, have an inflammatory effect It is vital to maintain a healthy balance of the various fatty acids in the diet, ie to cover most of the fat requirements, either vegetable or with fish.

Quit smoking
In addition, patients with rheumatism should stop smoking as this significantly increases the risk of rheumatism. This is what Swedish researchers led by Daniela di Guiseppe from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm have now discovered in a long-term study. Accordingly, certain smoke ingredients favor the formation of exactly these proteins and, as a consequence, the autoimmune reaction. Smoking can trigger or aggravate the inflammatory joint disease in this way. Thus, the study showed that even those subjects who smoked only one to seven cigarettes a day were more than twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than nonsmokers. The scientists, their results in the journal „arthritis research & therapy“ published, said that even if you quit smoking, the risk remains years even increased. (Jp)