By: Gunda Siska, PharmD
2019-05-05
Omega-3s and other healthy oils are the building blocks for cell membranes. When a healthy cell becomes damaged, the torn cell membrane becomes the chemical signals to bring in the repair crew. The repair crew are the white bloods cells, and the inflammatory mediators that cause swelling and redness.
For an acute injury, the inflammatory mediators resolve the problems and facilitate in the repairs. But for chronic inflammation, the inflammatory mediators just cause havoc since there is nothing to fix.
So that is how fish oils are closely linked to inflammation and the immune system. Their chemical structure is very similar to inflammatory signalers, aka eicosanoids.
Omega-3s, EPA and DHA, can compete with arachidonic acid (an inflammatory signaler) for activation enzymes. Therefore, higher concentrations of EPA and DHA than arachidonic acid tip the eicosanoid-define balance toward less inflammatory activity, polyunsaturated fatty acids (as arachidonic acid), and involved in cellular activity.
