A recent study done by scientists at Oregon State University and several other institutions examined the metabolic effects of omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA, and found they could be of significant value in the prevention of fatty liver disease. This study established that the main target of DHA in the liver is the control of inflammation, oxidative stress and fibrosis, which are the characteristics of more progressively serious liver problems. Omega-3 fatty acids appeared to keep cells from responding to and being damaged by whatever is causing inflammation.
The research was one of the first of its type to use metabolomics, an analysis of metabolites that reflect the many biological effects of omega-3 fatty acids on the liver. It also explored the challenges the liver faces from the Western diet that increasingly is linked to liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis and sometimes liver failure.
Supplements of DHA given to laboratory animals, equating to about 2-4 grams per day for an average person, appeared to have many unanticipated effects, researchers said. There were observable changes in vitamin and carbohydrate metabolism, protein and amino acid function, as well as lipid metabolism. In essence, supplementation with DHA partially or totally prevented metabolic damage through those pathways often linked to the Western diet, researchers said, including excessive consumption of red meat, sugar, saturated fat and processed grains.
“We were shocked to find so many biological pathways being affected by omega-3 fatty acids,” said Donald Jump, a professor in the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences. “Most studies on these nutrients find effects on lipid metabolism and inflammation. Our metabolomics analysis indicates that the effects of omega-3 fatty acids extend beyond that, and include carbohydrate, amino acid and vitamin metabolism.
“Fish oils, a common supplement used to provide omega-3, are also not prescribed to regulate blood glucose levels in diabetic patients,” Jump continued. “But our studies suggest that DHA may reduce the formation of harmful glucose metabolites linked to diabetic complications.”
