A study published in Rheumatology (2008 May;47(5):665–669) examined whether supplementation with cod liver oil could influence medication requirements in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The trial included 97 adults between the ages of 37 and 78 who had been diagnosed with RA.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or 10 grams of cod liver oil daily. Clinical evaluations were conducted at baseline and again at 4, 12, 24, and 36 weeks. For comparison purposes, each participant’s baseline use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was defined as 100%.
To standardize dosing, patients taking long-acting NSAIDs were switched to equivalent short-acting formulations. Participants were instructed to carefully track their medication use and to reduce NSAID dosage as much as possible—discontinuing use if symptoms allowed. Changes in NSAID intake were recorded as percentage increases or decreases relative to baseline.
Of the 97 participants, 69 were women and 28 were men. All patients were using NSAIDs at baseline. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were used by 36 participants in the placebo group and 39 in the cod liver oil group; only two patients in each group were taking more than one DMARD. Low-dose oral prednisolone was used by seven participants in the placebo group and nine in the cod liver oil group.
A total of 32 of 49 participants in the cod liver oil group and 26 of 48 participants in the placebo group completed the nine-month study. Among those who completed the trial, 19 of 32 patients (59%) in the cod liver oil group were able to reduce their daily NSAID requirement by more than 30%, compared with 5 of 26 patients (19%) in the placebo group.
Based on these findings, the authors concluded that cod liver oil supplementation—rich in omega-3 fatty acids—was associated with a reduced need for NSAIDs in some patients with rheumatoid arthritis. While the study does not suggest replacing standard therapy, it supports further investigation into omega-3 fatty acids as an adjunctive strategy in RA management.
