Injuries to the spinal cord affect about 250,000 Americans. Approximately 11,000 people per year experience spinal cord injuries. Most spine injuries occur as a result of motor vehicle accidents, although sporting activities account for about 7 percent of these injuries. Attempts are being made to test the effects of various chemicals on repairing damaged spinal cords, with some chemicals showing promise. Omega-3 fish oil may be one of these.
Spinal Cord Physiology
The spinal cord is essentially the distribution network for information between the brain and the rest of the body. It is composed of nerve cells called neurons as well as bundles of nerve fibers of varying length and thickness. Some nerve fibers transmit sensory information such as touch and pain from the extremeties to the brain. Others transmit motor information from the brain to the muscles, allowing movement. Other nerve fibers in the spinal cord carry information about autonomic or unconscious functions such as digestion.
What is Spinal Injury?
Spinal injury, more commonly known as spinal cord injury or SCI, results when long nerve fibers inside the spinal cord are interrupted. Interruption usually occurs as a result of trauma, such as a sharp bend or blow to the spine or by penetration of an object like a bullet. Trauma can result from motor vehicle accidents, falls and sports injuries as might occur from playing football. These traumas usually force the spine to bend beyond safe limits causing the vertebrae to compress the spinal cord within. Once the nerve fibers are interrupted they cannot transmit information between the brain and the rest of the body, resulting in paralysis.
What is Omega-3 Fish Oil?
Omega-3 is a polyunsaturated fatty acid. It occurs in different forms, the two most biologically active being docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid. It is extracted from the oils of certain fish such as mackerel, salmon or tuna and then made into supplements. You also can obtain it by eating the flesh of these fish. Omega-3 supplements are commonly used to help the heart and circulatory system but also are widely used for helping enhance some of the brain's functions. This is why it is often taken for Alzheimer's disease, psychosis, depression and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.
Omega-3 and the Spinal Cord
Experiments have been performed with omega-3 fish oil on SCI. The website Apparelyzed, a SCI resource, says animal studies show that DHA can slow down nerve damage if administered within one hour of an SCI. Another study reported in the "Journal of Neuroscience" supports this and shows that omega-3 but not omega-6 fatty acids have a protective effect on damaged rat spinal neurons. Other research holds promise that omega-3's restorative effects on neurons may one day use this supplement as a treatment for those affected by SCI.
References
- Spinal Cord Injury Information Network: Facts & Figures at a Glance
- NIH: Medline Plus: Fish oil
- Apparelyzed: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Protect The Spinal Cord
- "Journal of Neuroscience"; Omega-3 Fatty Acids Improve Recover; V.R. King, et. al.; April, 2006
- "Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids"; Omega-3 fatty acids; A.T. Michael-Titus; November 2007
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