Omega-3 Fish Oil Could Reduce Epileptic Seizure Frequency
A new study finds that consuming low doses of omega-3 fish oil each day could cut down on seizure frequency among epilepsy patients.
A team led by researchers from the UCLA School of Medicine found that omega-3 fatty acids—which can be obtained through consuming oily fish such as trout, mackerel, tuna, herring, sardines, and salmon—may be especially useful for epilepsy patients who no longer respond to medication.
For the study, the investigators enrolled 24 participants with epilepsy, who had stopped responding to anti-epileptic medication, subjecting each patient to 3 different supplementation regimes. One group was given 3 fish oil supplements daily; the equivalent of 1,080 mg of omega-3 plus 3 placebo supplements. Another was administered high-dose fish oil supplementation, in the form of 6 fish oil supplements daily, or the equivalent of 2,160 mg of omega-3. The third group was given 3 placebo supplements twice a day.
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According to the researchers, the fewest number of seizures occurred—12 a month—when participants were following the low-dose fish oil regime. In comparison, 17 seizures occurred in 1 month on the high-dose regime, with around 18 seizures experienced by patients on the placebo regime. In other words, the low-dose regime represented a 33.6 percent reduction in seizures.
The team also found that 2 of the patients following the low-dose fish oil regime had no seizures at all during the 10-week trial, while none of the patients taking high-dose fish oil or placebos were seizure-free.
In addition, blood pressure fell by 1.95 mm/Hg among patients following the low-dose fish oil regime, while high-dose fish oil was linked to an increase of 1.84 mm/Hg in blood pressure. No link was found, however, between fish oil and seizure severity, changes in heart rate, or blood lipid levels.
While the findings suggest that fish oil may help reduce seizures and improve cardiovascular health, more research is needed, notes Christopher DeGiorgio, MD, a professor in the department of neurology at the UCLA School of Medicine, and lead author of the study.
“It is important to keep in mind the whole patient,” says DeGiorgio, “and recognizing that cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and birth defects are major problems for people with epilepsy.
“Supplements like folic acid reduce the risk of birth defects from anti-epileptic drugs in women of childbearing potential,” he continues, adding that “vitamin D is increasingly recognized as deficient in people with epilepsy, in whom anti-epileptic drugs increase the risk of osteoporosis. Consider supplementing these agents in people at risk.”
Ultimately, primary care physicians should consider referring a drug-resistant epileptic patient—one in which 2 or more anti-epileptic drugs have failed—to a comprehensive epilepsy program, says DeGiorgio, “where surgical options, new drugs, or devices could be offered.”
—Mark McGraw
Reference
DeGiorgio C, Miller P, et al. Fish oil (n-3 fatty acids) in drug resistant epilepsy: a randomized placebo-controlled crossover study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2014.