Cod-liver Oil May Aid Arthritis Patients

March 10, 2004

Provided by South Bend Tribune on 3/3/2004

For generations, parents had their children swallow fishy- smelling,

vile-tasting cod-liver oil. Rich in vitamins A and D, the oil was supposed to

make them healthier. But it is adults with arthritis who especially may benefit.

Researchers at Cardiff University in Wales studied 31 patients who were awaiting

knee replacement surgery, giving half of them 1,000 milligrams of high-strength

cod-liver oil in pill form for 10 to 12 weeks before their operations. The other

patients received similar-looking dummy pills. When the patients underwent knee

surgery, doctors analyzed samples of cartilage and joint tissue.

They found that 86 percent of the osteoarthritis patients who had taken the oil

produced less of a cartilage-eroding enzyme or none of the enzyme, compared with

26 percent of those getting a placebo. The pills also reduced levels of other

enzymes that cause pain.

The pill's potential to slow the breakdown of knee cartilage and reduce pain

could reduce the number of patients needing knee and hip replacements each year,

researchers said.

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