PUFAs May Aid Sufferers of Ulcerative Colitis

GRANADA, Spain--A study appearing in the January Journal ofNutrition (132, 1:11-9, 2002) (www.nutrition.org),reported that long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) may improve theintestinal damage and condition-specific inflammation of ulcerative colitis, achronic inflammatory disease appearing in the large intestine and rectum. Thecondition is characterized by recurrent episodes of abdominal pain, as well asfever, chills and diarrhea.

In a two-week study, rats with experimental ulcerative colitis were givendiets containing either monounsaturated or LC-PUFAs in the form of olive oil,fish oil or animal-based phospholipids. Rats fed fish oil showed significantlyless macroscopic and microscopic colonic damage compared to the olive oil andphospholipid groups. The study's authors, from the University of Granada, wrotethat these results suggest that a balanced diet containing omega-3 LC-PUFAscould reduce the inflammation and mucosal damage of ulcerative colitis.