Omega Fatty Acids and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: An Overview

Ledyane Taynara Marton,Antonelly Cassio Alves De Carvalho,Sandra Maria Barbalho,Ricardo De Alvares Goulart

doi:10.3390/ijms20194851

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic, inflammatory processes that affect the gastrointestinal tract and are mainly represented by ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Omega 3 (ω3) fatty acids (eicosapentanoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) show an indispensable role in the inflammatory processes and, for these reasons, we aimed to review the effects of these acids on UC and CD. Databases such as PUMED and EMBASE were searched, and the final selection included fifteen studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The results showed that ω3 fatty acids reduce intestinal inflammation, induce and maintain clinical remission in UC patients, and are related with the reduction of proinflammatory cytokines, decrease disease activity and increase the quality of life of CD patients. Furthermore, the consumption of these fatty acids may be related to a reduced risk of developing IBD. Many studies have shown the beneficial effects of ω3 as adjunctive in the treatment or prevention of UC or CD. Nevertheless, most were performed with a small number of patients and there are many variations in the mode of consumption, the type of food or the type of formulation used. All these factors substantially interfere with the results and do not allow reliable comparisons.

Highlights

The immune system plays an indispensable role against infectious and inflammatory processes by reducing and extinguishing the stimuli or removing the damage to the tissues
Calprotectin showed a reduction of 100 points at six months from the baseline
It was observed the maintenance of clinical remission at six months (76.7% in the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)-FFA group and 50% in the placebo group)

Summary

Introduction

The immune system plays an indispensable role against infectious and inflammatory processes by reducing and extinguishing the stimuli or removing the damage to the tissues. Many disorders are associated with uncontrolled inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) [1,2]. IBDs are debilitating, chronic, relapsing, and remitting inflammatory processes that affect the gastrointestinal tract and are mainly represented by ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). More than 3 million people are estimated to be affected in the United States, 2.5 million in Europe, and 75,000 in Australia [3], which incurs a relevant burden to the public health systems These inflammatory conditions occur due to an imbalance in the intestinal immune response to intestinal microbes or other environmental conditions, resulting in a disturbance between pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules, as well as several other factors that may be involved in the chronic inflammatory state. These factors include cytokines, interleukins (ILs), activated toll-like receptors (TLR), nitric oxide (NO), free radicals, oxylipins, and the intestinal microbiota itself [4,5,6,7]

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