BBC NEWS | Health | Oily fish helps cut inflammation

We now have the "why", not just the "what" :)

BBC NEWS | Health | Oily fish helps cut inflammation: "identified a new class of fats in the human body, called resolvins, which they showed can control inflammation.

They do this both by stopping the migration of inflammatory cells to sites of inflammation, and the turning on of other inflammatory cells.

Resolvins are made from the omega-3 fatty acids, found in high concentration in oily fish."

"They have found a key anti-inflammatory fat in humans is derived from a fatty acid found in fish oil."

So eat your fish!


Interestingly, the researchers may also have stumbled upon why COX-2 inhibitors have been shown to increase heart problems:
"The study also reveals a potential pitfall of COX-2 inhibitors, drugs designed to block inflammation, which have been shown to have negative cardiovascular side effects.

The enzyme COX-2 is involved in making resolvin E1, and the researchers suspect that taking the drugs may disrupt the body's ability to synthesise the fat.

Thus, while the drugs are designed to reduce inflammation, it is possible that they actually undermine one of the body's most important methods for achieving the same effect.

However, the researchers stress the experiment to prove this idea has yet to be done with humans."