Cod liver oil helps slow the destruction of joint cartilage in people with osteoarthritis, say researchers at Cardiff University in Wales.

Experts say that could reduce the number of knee and hip replacements done each year and cut down on the number of people who would otherwise need other types of joint replacement surgery.

The study included 31 people in the United Kingdom who were on a national waiting listing for total knee joint replacement surgery. Half of the participants took cod liver oil and half took a placebo for 10 to 12 weeks before their surgery.

The study reports that 86 per cent of the arthritis patients who took 1,000-milligram capsules of extra-high-strength cod liver oil a day had no levels, or significantly reduced levels, of the enzymes that cause cartilage damage. That compares with 26 per cent of the arthritis patients who took a placebo oil capsule for the study.

During surgery, samples of the patients' cartilage and joint tissue were taken from the knee joint for analysis by the researchers. Those who took the cod liver oil also had a marked reduction in some of the enzymes that cause joint pain, according to the study.

"This breakthrough is hugely significant because it demonstrates the efficacy of cod liver oil in patients with osteoarthritis taken prior to their joint replacement surgery," researcher Bruce Caterson says. "The data suggests that cod liver oil had a dual mode of action, potentially slowing down the cartilage degeneration inherent in osteoarthritis and also reducing factors that cause pain and inflammation."

"What these findings suggest is that by taking cod liver oil, people are more likely to delay the onset of osteoarthritis and less likely to require multiple joint replacements later in life," he adds.

Arthritis is the leading cause of long-term disability in Canada. A report last fall titled Arthritis in Canada says that approximately one in six (or four million) Canadian adults aged 15 years and over has arthritis. Arthritis ranks second and third among the most commonly reported chronic conditions in women and men, respectively.

At $16.4 billion, musculoskeletal conditions, including arthritis, are the second most costly category of diseases in Canada. The report estimates the economic cost of arthritis at $4.4 billion annually.

For more information about arthritis, visit HealthyOntario.

February 2004

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