What You Need To Know About Krill Oil And Colitis

Colitis, which is swelling and inflammation of the large intestine (colon), affects a large number of people in the US and around the world.

It can be caused by infections, inflammatory disorders (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s Disease), and from a lack of blood flow to the intestines.

Common symptoms associated with colitis are pain, swelling, bloating, chills, bloody stools, diarrhea, and dehydration.

It is estimated that 1.4 million people suffer from the more severe form of colitis, ulcerative colitis, which is inflammation and sores (ulcers) found in the large intestines and which lead to many of the same symptoms associated with colitis.

Research shows that having chronic and long lasting inflammation in your entire colon could raise your risk of developing colon cancer.

Treatment for colitis is usually accomplished by treating the cause of the inflammation (virus, infection, or other conditions leading to colitis).

However, a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, shows that Krill Oil could alleviate inflammation and pro-inflammatory cytokines commonly found in the intestines of people suffering from colitis.

Let me explain…

Krill and Colitis

Researchers wanted to evaluate the benefits of Krill Oil on inflammation and redox status in mice with colitis.

They used 30 male rats, which they separated into three groups: a placebo group, a DSS-induced group, and a DSS-induced plus Krill Oil group (fed a diet enriched with 5% Krill oil).  Each group was fed a diet for 4 weeks, while in the DSS groups, they, were administered a mixture of water and DSS to induce colitis during the last week of the experiment.

DSS, which stands for dextran sulfate sodium, is commonly used to induce colitis in otherwise healthy rats.

The researchers measured weight, disease activity index (DAI), colon length, levels of cytokines and prostaglandins present in the colon, fatty acid profile, protein oxidative damage, and histological combined score (HCS).

As a baseline, they noted that the DSS-induced group had increases in both their DAI and HCS scores.

They noted that Krill oil significantly preserved the colon and also increased the length of the colon.  Also, they showed that Krill oil decreased both HCS scores and cytokine levels.

The researchers also noted an increase in PPAR-y, PG(E3), and Pparg-1aphla levels.

From their work, the researchers concluded that Krill oil could exhibit anti-inflammatory effects as well as protein antioxidant effects.

Although this work is encouraging for the millions of people suffering from Colitis, more research is needed to validate their findings before Krill oil could be considered a viable treatment option for the management of Colitis.

Amazing Benefits of Krill Oil

Krill oil, which is a type of omega-3 enriched-oil, has been shown by research to help alleviate many common health ailments.

From a reduction in PMS symptoms, to reducing inflammation and improving factors associated with heart disease, krill oil has developed into an optimal source for omega-3 fatty acids.

Now, according to this study, Krill oil could be beneficial at improving inflammation and swelling commonly associated with Colitis.

Krill oil could be a great way to increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, plus it could alleviate common health ailments associated with inflammation.


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References:

Grimstad, T.  Bjorndai, B.  Cacabelos, D.  Aasprong, OG.  Janssen, EAM.  Omdai, R.  Svardal, A.  Hausken, T.  Bohov, E.  Portero-Olin, M.  Pamplona, R.  Berge, R.  Dietary supplementation of krill oil attenuates inflammation and oxidative stress in experimental ulcerative colitis in rats.  Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterolgy.  2012.  Vol. 47(1):pp. 49-58.  doi: 10.3109/00365521.2011.634025.