Eating fish at least twice a week may significantly reduce the pain and swelling associated with rheumatoid arthritis, a new study says.

Prior studies have shown a beneficial effect of fish oil supplements on rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, but less is known about the value of eating fish containing omega-3, the researchers said.

“We wanted to investigate whether eating fish as a whole food would have a similar kind of effect as the omega 3 fatty acid supplements,” said the study author, Dr. Sara Tedeschi, an associate physician of rheumatology, immunology and allergy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Generally, the amount of omega 3 fatty acids in fish is lower than the doses that were given in the trials, she said.

Even so, as the 176 study participants increased the amount of fish they ate weekly, their disease activity score lowered, the observational study found.

In rheumatoid arthritis, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the joints, creating swelling and pain. It can also affect body systems, such as the cardiovascular or respiratory systems. The Arthritis Foundation estimates that about 1.5 million people in the United States have the disease, women far more often than men.

The new study, which was heavily female, draws attention to the link between diet and arthritic disease, a New York City specialist said.

“While this is not something that is new, per se, and it was a small trial, it does raise an interesting concept of what you eat is as important as the medications you take,” said Dr. Houman Danesh.

“A patient’s diet is something that should be addressed before medication is given,” added Danesh, director of integrative pain management at Mount Sinai Hospital.

When his patients with rheumatoid arthritis ask about diet, he said he often suggests they eat more fish for a few months to see if it will help.

“I encourage them to try it and decide for themselves,” he said, explaining that study results so far have been mixed.

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SOURCE: HealthDay News