Effect of omega-3 fatty acids and fish oil supplementation on multiple sclerosis: a systematic review

ABSTRACT

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, resulting in the degradation of the myelin sheath. Diet especially fish oils and omega-3 has been found to play an important role in MS. This work aimed to review the literature systematically for evidence on the effect of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA, DPA and DHA) on MS progression in adults.

Methods: The literature search was conducted in PubMed, Oxford, Cochrane, Embase, International pharmaceutical abstract, PsychINFO, and clinical trials government. The inclusions were studies performed on humans both male and female, aged 18 years at minimum, diagnosed with MS according to McDonald 2010 criteria. Otherwise, all studies were excluded.

Results: A total of 5554 studies were screened and seven were thoroughly focused on as they typically met the inclusion criteria. These studies showed the beneficial roles of fish oil supplementation and omega-3 fatty acids in improving the quality of life of MS patients. These roles were attributed to their beneficial effects on inflammatory markers, glutathione reductase, reducing the relapsing rate, and achieving balanced omega-6 to omega-3 ratios.

Conclusion: Omega-3 and fish oils supplementations have beneficial effects on reducing the relapsing rate, inflammatory markers, and improving the quality of life for MS patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Multiple sclerosis
• diet
• omega-3
• fish oil
• inflammation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Welayah Ali AlAmmar

Ms. Welayah Ali AlAmmar is a B.Sc. Graduate from the Clinical Nutrition Department at Imam Abdulrahman University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Fatima Hassan Albeesh

Ms. Fatima Hassan Albeesh is a B.Sc. Graduate from the Clinical Nutrition Department at Imam Abdulrahman University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Layla Makki Ibrahim

Ms. Layla Makki Ibrahim is a B.Sc. Graduate from the Clinical Nutrition Department at Imam Abdulrahman University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Yasmin Yussuf Algindan

Dr. Yasmin Yussuf Algindan got her bachelor's degree from the King Faisal university in Dammam, Saudi Arabia in 1996. She obtained her masters and Ph.D. degrees in 2007 and 2016 from University of Manitoba, Canada and University of Glasgow, UK, respectively. She is currently working as assistant professor and chairperson for the Clinical Nutrition Department at Imam Abdulrahman University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Lamya Zohair Yamani

Dr. Lamya Zohair Yamani is an assistant professor at the department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Rabie Yousif Khattab

Dr. Rabie Yousif Khattab obtained his Ph.D. degree in Food Chemistry from Alexandria University, Egypt in 2004. From 2007 to 2010 he worked as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences at the University of Manitoba, Canada. He joined the Department of Process Engineering and Applied Science at Dalhousie University, Canada as a research associate in 2014. Dr. Khattab is currently working as associate professor at the department of Clinical Nutrition at Imam Abdulrahman University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.