Salmon Diet Effective in Ulcerative Colitis

STAVANGER, NorwayPatients with active colitis appear to experience reduced disease activity after regular consumption of salmon, which increases the patients anti-inflammatory fatty acid index, according to a recent trial published online ahead of print Dec. 18 in the Scandinavian Journal of Clinical Laboratory Investigation.

Researchers from the Department of Internal Medicine at Stavanger University Hospital conducted a pilot study in patients with mild ulcerative colitis (UC), comparing a salmon-rich diet; they noted salmon fillet contains not only n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which have an anti-inflammatory effect, but also contains bioactive peptides that may improve the effects. Twelve UC patients consumed 600 grams of Atlantic salmon weekly; before and after intervention, researchers assessed simple clinical colitis activity index (SCCAI), the diet (using a dietary questionnaire), sigmoidoscopy, selected serum inflammatory markers, fecal calprotectin, and plasma and rectal biopsy fatty acid profiles.

Biopsies taken after dietary intervention revealed C20:4n-6 arachidonic acid correlated with histology and endoscopy scores. The concentrations of n-3 PUFAs, C20:5n-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), C22:6n-3 docosahexaenoic acid  (DHA), and the n-3/n-6 ratio increased in plasma and rectal biopsies. The anti-inflammatory fatty acid index (AIFAI) increased both in biopsies and plasma accompanied with a significantly reduced SCCAI. The researchers concluded intake of Atlantic salmon may have beneficial effects on disease activity in patients with mild UC, based on improved SCCAI and AIFAI scores along with the tendency of decreased levels of CRP and homocysteine in patients on the dietary intervention.