Cystic Fibrosis - fatty acid clue

Main Category: Cystic Fibrosis
Article Date: 15 Feb 2004 - 0:00 PDT


An imbalance in fatty acids could be the cause of the lung inflammation the cystic fibrosis (CF) patients experience.
Scientists say that too much of one acid and not enough of another results in patients being more prone to inflammation.

Omega-3 oils (found in fish and cod live oil) may help regulate this imbalance (correct it).

However, experts have also said that CF patients should not change their diets until there is more proof (that this would benefit them).

CF is caused by a faulty CFTR gene.

People with CF have an abnormal amount thick, sticky mucus produced by the body. This causes chronic inflammation of the lungs, leading to life-threatening infections.

The average CF patient lives for around 31 years.

Researchers from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the University of Massachusetts and Massachusetts General Hospital took tissue samples from 38 patients with cystic fibrosis.

They found that CF people had very high levels of arachidonic acid (AA) and abnormally low levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Non-CF people do not have this imbalance.

Dr Steven Freedman of the gastroenterology division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who led the research, said: 'Since 1989, we have known that the defective CFTR gene is responsible for CF.

'But we didn't understand how this defective gene leads to the symptoms of the disease.

'This new study sheds light on what may be happening and provides a link between CFTR function and fatty acid metabolism. It is known that high amounts of AA and low amounts of DHA would predispose to inflammation.

'This discovery may help explain why there is an excessive inflammatory response among CF patients. This is the basis for why Omega-3 fish oils, found in cold-water fish as well as supplements, reduce inflammation since they increase levels of DHA and suppress AA.'

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