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The clinical effect of dietary supplementation with omega-3 fish oils and/or copper in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Duffy EM, Meenagh GK, McMillan SA, Strain JJ, Hannigan BM, Bell AL .

Northern Ireland Center for Food and Health (NICHE), School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Ulster, Northern Ireland, UK.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of dietary supplementation with omega-3 fish oils with or without copper on disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).  Fish oil supplementation has a beneficial effect on murine models of SLE, while exogenous copper can decrease the formation of lupus erythematosus cells in rats with a hydralazine-induced collagen disease.

METHODS: A double blind, double placebo controlled factorial trial was performed on 52 patients with SLE. Patients were randomly assigned to 4 treatment groups.  Physiological doses of omega-3 fish oils and copper readily obtainable by dietary means were used. One group received 3 g MaxEPA and 3 mg copper, another 3 g MaxEPA and placebo copper, another 3 mg copper and placebo fish oil, and the fourth group received both placebo capsules.  Serial measurements of disease activity using the revised Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (SLAM-R) and peripheral blood samples for routine hematological, biochemical, and immunological indices were taken at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 weeks.

RESULTS: There was a significant decline in SLAM-R score from 6.12 to 4.69 (p < 0.05) in those subjects taking fish oil compared to placebo.  No significant effect on SLAM-R was observed in subjects taking copper.  Laboratory variables were unaffected by either intervention.

CONCLUSION: In the management of SLE, dietary supplementation with fish oil may be beneficial in modifying symptomatic disease activity.