Cod liver oil can help arthritis patients.

A study by researchers at Dundee University has shown that the use of cod liver oil supplements can decrease a rheumatoid arthritis patient’s reliance on anti-inflammatory drugs by more than 30%.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an auto-immune disease that causes pain, swelling and inflammation in the joints. The study, aimed to assess whether patients were able to reduce their dependence on drugs without worsening their RA, involved 97 RA patients who took Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs).

The patients were then either given 10g of cod liver oil tablets or ‘dummy’ pills for a total of 36 weeks. After the first 12 weeks, patients were asked to gradually decrease, or if possible stop, their NSAID intake.

An encouraging 39% of those taking the cod liver oil supplement were able to reduce their NSAID intake by more than 30%, compared with just 10% of patients taking the ‘dummy’ pills.

Professor Jill Belch, lead author of the research, commented: “This study offers hope to many RA patients for whom cod liver oil supplements can offer a natural pain management treatment without the harmful side effects associated with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs. It reinforces previous research that has shown cod liver oil, and its high content of omega-3 essential fatty acids, to have significant anti-inflammatory properties in patients with RA.”

The full study is published in the Rheumatology journal and is hoped to be of benefit to the 350,000 people in the UK who suffer from RA.