We at OMS are excited about the findings of the latest study from the HOLISM database, published online early at the International Journal of Neuroscience.

Study

To refresh memories, this study recruited around two and a half thousand people with MS from Web 2.0 platforms like Facebook, Twitter and MS websites, from 57 countries around the globe. They completed a long survey about their lifestyles and the illness.

We have been busy analysing the data ever since; the findings about one part of the lifestyle survey relating to fish and omega 3 consumption have just been published and add enormous weight to the OMS recovery program.

Findings

Briefly, those consuming fish the most frequently (three or more times a week), and those taking omega 3 supplements, had better health in virtually all measured domains of disease activity, disability, and quality of life.

Perhaps the most striking finding however of the research was that while people with MS taking regular fish oil supplements had fewer relapses than those not taking omega 3s (although this finding was not significant), those taking flaxseed oil regularly had over 60% fewer relapses!

This effect was independent of how frequently they were consuming fish. We have suggested flaxseed oil as the preferred omega 3 supplement in the OMS recovery program since its inception.These data provide strong support for that approach. People eating fish more frequently also had around 50% reduction in relapses compared with those eating fish less than once a week.

Conclusions

The take-home messages from the paper were that, in a real world setting, people with MS taking omega 3 supplements and eating fish regularly have much better health! They have less disability, fewer relapses and better quality of life.

People looking to recover from MS everywhere who are incorporating these lifestyle changes into their lives can take great heart from these findings.

References

► Jelinek GA, Hadgkiss EJ, Weiland TJ, Pereira N, Marck CH, van der Meer DM. Association of fish consumption and omega 3 supplementation with quality of life, disability and disease activity in an international cohort of people with multiple sclerosis. Int J Neurosci 2013; in press; DOI: 10.3109/00207454.2013.803104 View pdf

Association of fish consumption and omega 3 supplementation with quality of life, disability and disease activity