Fish Oil Supplements Could Help Fight CFS

March 30, 2003

" Fish Oil Supplements Could Help Fight Chronic Fatigue Syndrome "

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or ME may be caused by a chemical

imbalance in the brain, according to doctors. They have also

suggested that taking daily fish oil supplements may help to

alleviate some of the symptoms associated with the condition.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome affects an estimated 243,000 people of all

ages in the UK. It causes a wide range of symptoms including muscle

pain, memory loss, and severe exhaustion which can last many years

and leave victims bed-ridden.

Dr. Basant Puri and colleagues at Hammersmith Hospital in London used

state-of-the-art scanning technology to assess chemical activity in

the brain. They examined a group of eight people who had been

diagnosed with the syndrome and the same number of healthy people.

Brain Chemicals

They found higher levels of two key chemicals - choline and creatine -

in the brains of people with the condition. Choline is important for

controlling fat levels in brain cells while creatine provides energy.

The doctors said the findings suggested CFS patients had abnormal

phospholipid metabolisms. Phospholipids are special types of fats

which are an essential component of cells. They are protected by

certain types of fatty acids.

Doctors at Hammersmith believe fatty acid supplements could help to

restore the chemical imbalance in the brain and alleviate the

symptoms of CFS. EPA which is found in fish oil supplements may be

particularly useful.

Dr. Puri said: " This study suggests that if patients with CFS take a

high-EPA fatty acid supplement, then this should have a beneficial

action on the chemical imbalances in the brain which we have

identified. "

But the charity Action for M.E. warned that the condition is complex.

, its chief executive, said: " CFS is a complex illness and

all the evidence so far suggests that there's no single cause. " But

he added: " We will look at this research with great interest. "

The study is published in the journal Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.

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