Omega Fatty Acids and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: An Overview

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic, inflammatory processes that affect the gastrointestinal tract and are mainly represented by ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Omega 3 (ω3) fatty acids (eicosapentanoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) show an indispensable role in the inflammatory processes and, for these reasons, we aimed to review the effects of these acids on UC and CD. Databases such as PUMED and EMBASE were searched, and the final selection included fifteen studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The results showed that ω3 fatty acids reduce intestinal inflammation, induce and maintain clinical remission in UC patients, and are related with the reduction of proinflammatory cytokines, decrease disease activity and increase the quality of life of CD patients. Furthermore, the consumption of these fatty acids may be related to a reduced risk of developing IBD. Many studies have shown the beneficial effects of ω3 as adjunctive in the treatment or prevention of UC or CD. Nevertheless, most were performed with a small number of patients and there are many variations in the mode of consumption, the type of food or the type of formulation used. All these factors substantially interfere with the results and do not allow reliable comparisons.

Fish Oil, Cannabidiol and the Gut Microbiota: An Investigation in a Murine Model of Colitis

“…A plethora of recent studies have highlighted the role of gut dysbiosis in these conditions ( Pittayanon et al, 2020 ). FO and its n-3-PUFAs have been suggested as a potential adjunctive treatment for IBDs, although the clinical data that have been obtained so far come from small cohorts of patients using variable modes of consumption (types of foods or types of formulation) and are therefore still controversial ( Marton et al, 2019 ). On the other hand, while various Cannabis preparations have been tested in IBD patients as a potential treatment, purified cannabinoids have been mostly tested in animal models of colitis ( Couch et al, 2018 ).…”

“…Several mechanisms have been proposed for this property of FO, including, but not limited to, the capability of EPA and DHA to: 1) replace arachidonic acid (AA) in membrane phospholipids, and hence reduce the amounts of this omega-6 PUFA that can act as direct or indirect biosynthetic precursors for endocannabinoids and pro-inflammatory eicosanoids ( Calder, 2017 ; Innes and Calder, 2018 ); and 2) affect the gut microbiota to ameliorate gut dysbiosis and counteract, among others, its contribution to chronic, lowgrade inflammation ( Costantini et al, 2017 ). As a consequence, it has been suggested that FO may provide therapeutic relief for IBDs ( Marton et al, 2019 ). Also, plant cannabinoids from Cannabis sativa , and in particular: 1) Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which activates cannabinoid receptor of type-1 (CB1) or, particularly, type-2 (CB2) [see ( Ibeas Bih et al, 2015 ; Turner et al, 2017 ) for review], and 2) cannabidiol (CBD), which modulates several pro-inflammatory targets [see ( Burstein, 2015 ) for review] have been shown to produce anti-inflammatory effects in animal models of several inflammatory disorders, including IBDs ( Gotfried et al, 2020 ; Williamson et al, 2020 ).…”

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and the Intestinal Epithelium—A Review

“…Thus, EPA and DHA, but not ALA, may protect against development of ulcerative colitis. With regard to the treatment of IBD, there have been a number of trials of ω-3 PUFAs (mainly preparations of EPA plus DHA) over the years; trials conducted prior to 2009 are reviewed in [ 84 ] while trials published since 2010 are reviewed in [ 85 ]. The focus of the majority of such human trials has not been on the function of the intestinal barrier and epithelial cells specifically, but rather on macroscopic inflammatory scores, relapse and remission rates, and systemic markers of inflammation such as plasma concentrations of cytokines.…”

Cannabis and Canabidinoids on the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Going Beyond Misuse

“…The patient often presents tenesmus, blood in the stool, weight loss, diarrhea, flatulence, and abdominal pain, resulting in a substantial decrease in quality of life. Furthermore, it is related to psychological disorders [23,24].…”