Fish Oil May Reverse Liver Disease in Children

Los AngelesA six-month treatment of fish oil can help reverse liver disease in children with intestinal failure, according to new research published in the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

While previous studies show replacing soybean oil with fish oil can reverse liver disease, researchers from UCLA discovered the necessary duration of fish oil treatment had not been established. The recent clinical trial shows 24 weeks of fish oil treatment can replace soybean oil, and even decrease the need for liver and intestinal transplants associated with the disease.

Because children who suffer from intestinal failure cannot consume food orally, a nutritional cocktail of sugar, protein and fat made from soybean oil is injected through a small tube in their veins. However, the soybean oil has been associated with a potentially lethal complication known as intestinal failureassociated liver disease, which may require a liver or intestinal transplant. Such a transplant can prevent death, but the five-year post-transplant survival rate is only 50% to 70%.

"With this particular study, we set out to determine if a finite period of six months of intravenous fish oil could safely reverse liver damage in these children, and we have had some promising results," said lead author Kara Calkins, an assistant professor in the department of pediatrics, division of neonatology and developmental biology, UCLA. "But because intravenous fish oil is not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is much more costly than soybean oil, it is typically not covered by insurance."

Calkins added that fish oil is considered experimental at this point, and it is currently available only under special protocols.

In the study, intravenous soybean oil was replaced with intravenous fish oil in ten patients between the ages of 2 weeks and 18 years who had advanced intestinal failureassociated liver disease, and who were at high risk for death and/or transplant. The researchers compared these subjects with 20 historical controls who had received soybean oil.

Results showed the children receiving fish oil had a much higher rate of reversal of liver disease than those who received the standard soybean oil. After 17 weeks of fish oil, nearly 80% of patients experienced a reversal of their liver disease, while only 5% of the soybean patients saw a reversal.

"We are also trying to better understand how fish oil reverses this disease by investigating changes in proteins and genes in the blood and liver," Calkins said. "These studies will provide the scientific and medical community with a better understanding of this disease, and how intravenous fish oil works."

Recent studies indicate several more reasons to include fish in the diet. Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines can lower a woman's breast cancer risk, while eating one portion of fatty fish every week can also reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.