A new study finds that eating a weekly portion of salmon or other fatty fish, such as trout or mackerel, could reduce your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by more than half.
In a study published Monday in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm found that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish can cut the risk of chronic inflammatory disease by 52 per cent.
Prior research from 2009 suggests that consuming fish oils could help reduce inflammation that leads to a variety of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, researchers highlighted the benefit to long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (Pufa) content in fish.
If you prefer lean fish, such as cod or canned tuna, the same benefit could be found in eating four servings a week, the researchers found. Long-term, weekly consumption of any type of fish was associated with a 29 per cent lower risk of the disease.
However you'll need to sustain a regular diet of fish for at least 10 years to enjoy the health prevention against the condition, they added.
To reach their findings, head researcher Alicja Wolk and her team analyzed the diets of 32,232 Swedish born between 1914 and 1948. Subjects completed questionnaires about their food intake and lifestyle in 1987 and 1997. Women who consumed at least 0.21g of omega-3 Pufas daily had the 52 per cent reduced risk, the study found.
5 Benefits Of Salmon
Moisture Magnet(01 of05)
Open Image ModalThose mega omegas reduce inflammation on the cellular level that can cause redness, acne, and loss of firmness. These essential fatty acids replenish the lipids in the skin, which helps keep skin flexible, helps reduce moisture loss. This can help minimize the look of wrinkles. Some research suggests that omega-3 fats may help keep eyes healthy by protecting against dry eye syndrome. (credit:Shutterstock)
Wrinkle Fighter(02 of05)
Open Image ModalSalmon is one of the best sources of high-quality, easily digested protein that is low in artery-clogging saturated fat. Protein plays an big role in the production of skin-plumping collagen and elastin, which gives skin its flexibility – that ability for your skin to snap back from stressors like a taut elastic band. Antioxidants probably don’t come to mind when you think of salmon, but they’re in there: that reddish colour comes from a powerful free-radical buster called astaxanthin (the same compound that makes lobsters red). Recent studies suggest astaxanthin to be even more potent than beta-carotene and vitamin E, the famed skin healer. (credit:Shutterstock)
Waistline Whittler(03 of05)
Open Image ModalWith age comes stress and we all know the familiar calling of the vending machine when we’re too frazzled to eat well. Lean protein from salmon helps to keep ward off sugar cravings as it suppresses appetite because it is digested slowly and does not spike blood sugar levels. (credit:Shutterstock)
Edible Sunscreen(04 of05)
Open Image ModalA number of studies have demonstrated that the anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3s can decrease the redness and burning associated with UV exposure as well as lower your risk of developing certain types of skin cancer. (credit:Shutterstock)
Memory Booster(05 of05)
Open Image ModalThere’s no point in being a beauty if you've got no brains. Salmon’s anti-inflammatory fats have been shown to protect your noggin from cellular damage that can mess with cognitive function, reducing your risk for a stroke, which is essentially a heart attack in your brain. Salmon is also a rare source of dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE), a substance that is a precursor the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, a brain chemical that boosts mental alertness. (credit:Shutterstock)