Spinal surprise: Omega-3s can help repair spinal-cord damage
It sounds a bit like science fiction, but recent diet-based research into the spinal cord has struck a resoundingly favorable chord.
A team of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles has discovered that a diet including omega-3 fatty acids and curcumin, a compound found in a curry spice, could help offset degeneration and repair damage to the spinal cord.
The special diet helped preserve walking ability among rats with spinal-cord injury, and the UCLA team’s findings suggest that these particular supplements help to repair nerve cells and preserve neurological function following degenerative damage to the neck.
The results were published in Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine.
“Our findings suggest that diet can help minimize disease-related changes and repair damage to the spinal cord,” says Dr. Langston Holly, associate professor of neurosurgery at the UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, who led the research effort. “We next want to look at other mechanisms involved in the cascade of events leading up to chronic spinal-cord injury. Our goal is to identify which stages will respond best to medical intervention and identify effective steps for slowing the disease process.”
The UCLA researchers studied groups of rats suffering from a condition similar to cervical myelopathy, a progressive disorder that often accompanies conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. Cervical myelopathy is the most common cause of spine-related walking problems among the elderly aged 55 and older.
One group of rodents was fed rat chow that replicated a Western diet high in refined sugar and saturated fats. Another group’s diet was supplemented with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which has been shown to repair damage to cell membranes, and curcumin, found in the Indian curry spice turmeric, which is a strong antioxidant and has been linked to tissue repair.
In humans, “normal aging often narrows the spinal canal, putting pressure on the spinal cord and injuring tissue,” says Holly. “While surgery can relieve the pressure and prevent further injury, it can’t repair damage to the cells and nerve fibers. We wanted to explore whether dietary supplementation could help the spinal cord heal itself.”
The second group of rats demonstrated a better walking ability than the first in a mere matter of weeks. And after examining the rats’ spinal cords, to see how diet affected their condition on a molecular level, they concluded that DHA and curcumin appeared to offset the effect of the animals’ injuries, while levels of markers linked to neural repair and cellular communication were higher among the second group.
“The brain and spinal cord work together, and years of research demonstrate that supplements like DHA and curcumin can positively influence the brain. We suspected that what works in the brain may also work in the spinal cord,” says co-author and professor of neurosurgery Fernando Gomez-Pinilla.
“DHA and curcumin appear to invoke several molecular mechanisms that preserved neurological function in the rats. This is an exciting first step toward understanding the role that diet plays in protecting the body from degenerative disease.”
A team of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles has discovered that a diet including omega-3 fatty acids and curcumin, a compound found in a curry spice, could help offset degeneration and repair damage to the spinal cord.
The special diet helped preserve walking ability among rats with spinal-cord injury, and the UCLA team’s findings suggest that these particular supplements help to repair nerve cells and preserve neurological function following degenerative damage to the neck.
The results were published in Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine.
“Our findings suggest that diet can help minimize disease-related changes and repair damage to the spinal cord,” says Dr. Langston Holly, associate professor of neurosurgery at the UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, who led the research effort. “We next want to look at other mechanisms involved in the cascade of events leading up to chronic spinal-cord injury. Our goal is to identify which stages will respond best to medical intervention and identify effective steps for slowing the disease process.”
The UCLA researchers studied groups of rats suffering from a condition similar to cervical myelopathy, a progressive disorder that often accompanies conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. Cervical myelopathy is the most common cause of spine-related walking problems among the elderly aged 55 and older.
One group of rodents was fed rat chow that replicated a Western diet high in refined sugar and saturated fats. Another group’s diet was supplemented with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which has been shown to repair damage to cell membranes, and curcumin, found in the Indian curry spice turmeric, which is a strong antioxidant and has been linked to tissue repair.
In humans, “normal aging often narrows the spinal canal, putting pressure on the spinal cord and injuring tissue,” says Holly. “While surgery can relieve the pressure and prevent further injury, it can’t repair damage to the cells and nerve fibers. We wanted to explore whether dietary supplementation could help the spinal cord heal itself.”
The second group of rats demonstrated a better walking ability than the first in a mere matter of weeks. And after examining the rats’ spinal cords, to see how diet affected their condition on a molecular level, they concluded that DHA and curcumin appeared to offset the effect of the animals’ injuries, while levels of markers linked to neural repair and cellular communication were higher among the second group.
“The brain and spinal cord work together, and years of research demonstrate that supplements like DHA and curcumin can positively influence the brain. We suspected that what works in the brain may also work in the spinal cord,” says co-author and professor of neurosurgery Fernando Gomez-Pinilla.
“DHA and curcumin appear to invoke several molecular mechanisms that preserved neurological function in the rats. This is an exciting first step toward understanding the role that diet plays in protecting the body from degenerative disease.”
Mnemonic mystery: Why DHA improves memory
Yves Sauve and his Canadian colleagues had already done research into omega-3s and age-related vision loss.
Thanks to their most recent study, we’re more mindful than ever of the powers of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
For decades, fish has been called brain food. And science has shown that the long-chain omega-3 fatty acid DHA is beneficial to cognitive development.
But Sauve and his research team at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, wanted to get right to the core of the issue. “We wanted to find out how fish intake improves memory,” he says.
The U of A research team found that laboratory models fed a high-DHA diet had 30-per-cent higher levels of DHA in the memory section of the brain, called the hippocampus, in comparison to animal models on a regular, healthy diet. The discovery of those additional stores of DHA in the brain, as a direct result of a high-DHA diet, is a key finding — and backs up similar conclusions made elsewhere.
“What we discovered is that memory cells in the hippocampus could communicate better with each other, and better relay messages, when DHA levels in that region of the brain were higher,” says Sauve. “This could explain why memory improves on a high-DHA diet.”
The team’s conclusions seem to support the theory that a diet rich in omega-3s may protect memory. Sauve says a high-DHA diet, either through supplementation or a greater intake of fish, could halt declining levels of DHA in the brain as we age.
The U of A research team’s findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.
Thanks to their most recent study, we’re more mindful than ever of the powers of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
For decades, fish has been called brain food. And science has shown that the long-chain omega-3 fatty acid DHA is beneficial to cognitive development.
But Sauve and his research team at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, wanted to get right to the core of the issue. “We wanted to find out how fish intake improves memory,” he says.
The U of A research team found that laboratory models fed a high-DHA diet had 30-per-cent higher levels of DHA in the memory section of the brain, called the hippocampus, in comparison to animal models on a regular, healthy diet. The discovery of those additional stores of DHA in the brain, as a direct result of a high-DHA diet, is a key finding — and backs up similar conclusions made elsewhere.
“What we discovered is that memory cells in the hippocampus could communicate better with each other, and better relay messages, when DHA levels in that region of the brain were higher,” says Sauve. “This could explain why memory improves on a high-DHA diet.”
The team’s conclusions seem to support the theory that a diet rich in omega-3s may protect memory. Sauve says a high-DHA diet, either through supplementation or a greater intake of fish, could halt declining levels of DHA in the brain as we age.
The U of A research team’s findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.
EFAs can provide H-E-L-P for ADHD
An Oxford University researcher says there is mounting evidence suggesting that omega-3 fatty acids can mitigate conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.
Dr. Alex Richardson, speaking earlier this month at an omega-3 symposium at New Zealand’s Massey University, says she was convinced of the benefits after conducting a study on dyslexic children with ADHD, which resulted in improvements in attention, concentration, and behavior.
Dr. Richardson is a founding director of FAB Research, a charitable trust supporting scientific research into the relationship between nutrition and human behavior.
Dr. Richardson also cited a randomized controlled trial conducted at Harvard University that showed omega-3s from fish oils help to reduce ADHD symptoms.
In our June edition of Optimal Ω-3, we also brought news of a study from Australia that suggested children with higher levels of DHA in their red blood cells saw improved literacy and more manageable ADHD symptoms.
Researchers from the University of South Australia, the Queensland University of Technology, and the Australian Technology Network Centre for Metabolic Fitness claim to be the first researchers to look into the effects of DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in children with ADHD against a control group.
“The present study adds to evidence suggesting that increased omega-3 PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid) intake can improve attention, literacy, and behavior problems in some children with ADHD,” write the researchers, whose work was published in the journal Nutrition.
Dr. Richardson also presented research detailing the benefits of omega-3s in the areas of learning and behavior.
An as-yet-unpublished study from the United Kingdom shows that levels of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids can also affect reading and memory skills, with a direct relationship between reading abilities and DHA levels, she said.
The same study also linked DHA levels and behavior such as teacher-rated anxiety and parent-rated hyperactivity, she added.
Dr. Alex Richardson, speaking earlier this month at an omega-3 symposium at New Zealand’s Massey University, says she was convinced of the benefits after conducting a study on dyslexic children with ADHD, which resulted in improvements in attention, concentration, and behavior.
Dr. Richardson is a founding director of FAB Research, a charitable trust supporting scientific research into the relationship between nutrition and human behavior.
Dr. Richardson also cited a randomized controlled trial conducted at Harvard University that showed omega-3s from fish oils help to reduce ADHD symptoms.
In our June edition of Optimal Ω-3, we also brought news of a study from Australia that suggested children with higher levels of DHA in their red blood cells saw improved literacy and more manageable ADHD symptoms.
Researchers from the University of South Australia, the Queensland University of Technology, and the Australian Technology Network Centre for Metabolic Fitness claim to be the first researchers to look into the effects of DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in children with ADHD against a control group.
“The present study adds to evidence suggesting that increased omega-3 PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid) intake can improve attention, literacy, and behavior problems in some children with ADHD,” write the researchers, whose work was published in the journal Nutrition.
Dr. Richardson also presented research detailing the benefits of omega-3s in the areas of learning and behavior.
An as-yet-unpublished study from the United Kingdom shows that levels of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids can also affect reading and memory skills, with a direct relationship between reading abilities and DHA levels, she said.
The same study also linked DHA levels and behavior such as teacher-rated anxiety and parent-rated hyperactivity, she added.
