People with ALS or “Charcot’s disease” who have higher levels of omega-3s in their blood are said to have slower physical decline and a lower risk of premature death.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also called “Charcot’s disease” is an incurable disease that reduces life expectancy (20% of those affected live 5 years or more after diagnosis). In France, it affects 5,000 to 7,000 people. Scientists are constantly working on this disease to improve the daily lives of patients and would slow its progress. New research was published on this topic on June 21, in the journal Neurology. Conducted on 449 people with ALSshe shows the interest of omega-3 for against the progression of the disease.
The authors have noted from 0 to 40 the severity of the symptoms and disease progression of the 449 participants. Higher scores indicating less severe symptoms of the disease. The researchers then measured the levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood and divided them into four groups, from highest to lowest level of omega-3 fatty acids. Eighteen months later, they observed the volunteer survival according to groups andstate of their physical functions.
They then discovered that theomega-3 “alpha-linolenic acid” or ALA had the most advantages. It was the omega-3 most strongly associated with a slower decline and at one reduced risk of death. On the 126 deceased participants within 18 months of the start of the study, 33% belonged to the group with the lowest ALA levelswhile 19% belonged to the group with the highest ALA levels.
A risk of death reduced by 50%
By adjusting for factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, BMI, duration of symptoms and family history of ALS, the researchers calculated that participants with the highest levels of ALA had a 50% lower risk of death during the study period compared to participants with the lowest levels. I’alpha-linolenic acid is particularly present in flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts and chia, walnut, rapeseed and soybean oils. To a lesser extent, two other fatty acids were associated with reduced mortality during the study: eicosapentaenoic acidan omega-3 found in oily fish and fish oil, andlinoleic acidA omega-6 present in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds. The same researchers had previously shown that a diet rich in ALA could also act in prevention, by reducing the risk of developing ALS.