Fight Arthritis with Fish Oil

The docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in resolving power is converted by D2, which in some in vitro studies has been shown to inhibit the binding of leukocytes to the endothelium, a process characteristic of many inflammatory diseases.
The consumption of fish oil has a beneficial effect in patients with rheumatoid arthritis but to date the biochemical mechanisms underlying this mechanism remain poorly understood.
In an article now published in the journal "Nature" written by a team of researchers at
Queen Mary, University of London
and
Harvard Medical School
describes how the body converts an ingredient of fish oil, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), into another chemical called D2 resolving power and how it can reduce the inflammation that characterizes rheumatoid arthritis as well as other similar conditions.
Arthritis, like many other diseases, autoimmune in origin. This means that healthy tissues are attacked by the immune system of the same organism, which normally should address his action against infection. Previous studies have shown that a crucial step of the process involves white blood cells that bind to the inner layer of blood vessels, known as the endothelium.
For some laboratory studies it turned out that in the presence of D2 resolving power endothelial cells produce small amounts of nitric oxide, which acts as a chemical signal that inhibits binding to leukocytes, preventing inflammation.
This research has thus allowed us to find the 'missing link' that can explain the correlation of this effect with the diet.