Fish oil – an over-hyped supplement or an important addition to your health arsenal?
Studies have delivered a range of verdicts. But new research shows that taking fish oil may reduce antibiotic resistance, which has become a major issue across the globe.
For the first time, Australian scientists have confirmed that fish oil can break down the ability of ‘superbugs’ to become antibiotic-resistant.
The discovery, led by Flinders University and published in international journal mBio, found that the antimicrobial powers of fish oil fatty acids could prove to be a simple and safe dietary supplement to be taken with antibiotics to make the fight against infection more effective.
Superbugs are bacteria or fungi that can withstand commonly prescribed drugs. A superbug can infect anyone. However, some people may have a higher risk of infection because they’ve been exposed to superbugs in a medical facility. Or they may have a weakened immune system because of a chronic illness, healthline.com explains.
Globally, millions become infected each year and about 700,000 people die from drug-resistant infections.
Read more: Does fish oil make a difference?
Are fish oil supplements the answer?
Fish oil supplements may be an easy way to protect your heart, ease inflammation, improve mental health and lengthen life, reports Harvard Health. Around $4.1 billion was spent annually on omega-3 fatty acids in 2019.
The evidence for improving heart health has been mixed, but fish oil has been shown to be anti-inflammatory. Several studies have also shown it can lower the risk of heart attacks.
Microbiologist Dr Bart Eijkelkamp says “a major antibiotic resistance mechanism in cells can be negatively impacted by the uptake of omega-3 dietary lipids”.
“In the experiments, and complementary supercomputer modelling, we found that these fatty acids in fish oil render the bacteria more susceptible to various common antibiotics,” he reported.
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Co-author Associate Professor Megan O’Mara said “this chink in the armour of harmful bacteria” is an important step forward in combatting the rise of superbugs.
Vital research
Further research in the field of infectious diseases caused by bacteria such as Acinetobacter baumannii, a leading hospital-acquired pathogen with unprecedented levels of antibiotic resistance around the world, is regarded as vital.
Another co-author, Dr Felise Adams, said fish oil fatty acids became part of the bacteria membrane and made the invading bacteria membrane more permeable and susceptible to the antibiotics being used to attack it.
Professor Anton Peleg said the studies provided new insights into the potential benefits of omega-3 supplements for bacterial infection, in particular during antibiotic treatment.
The researchers say that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFA) are essential compounds for human health.
“The human body generates only low levels of omega-3 PUFA so general dietary consumption and supplementation of omega-3 PUFAs benefit various aspects of human wellbeing, including for eye and brain and even protection from infectious diseases,” they say.
Antibiotics to blame?
Superbugs have been blamed on the widespread misuse of antibiotics. Evidence shows that health professionals have been overusing antibiotics for decades. Australia has one of the highest rates of antibiotic use in the world. In the UK, only about one in four antibiotic treatments are necessary, says Professor Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England from 2011 to 2019.
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In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on all organisations to respond to superbugs and the UN set up an inter-agency group to coordinate a response.
Late last year, the WHO stated that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was a global health and development threat and one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity – even as COVID raged.
It said the cost of AMR to economies was significant. “In addition to death and disability, prolonged illness results in longer hospital stays, the need for more expensive medicines and financial challenges for those impacted,” it said.
Have you had health issues due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria? Are you more likely in recent years to question whether you need to take antibiotics for a health problem? Why not share your thoughts in the comments section below?
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