Omega-3s may hinder wound healing: study

Omega-3s, found in fish oil, may have a negative effect on the healing of acute wounds in the skin, suggests new research.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown in previous studies to be beneficial in preventing heart disease and other illnesses associated with inflammation.

But researchers at Ohio State University found the opposite seemed to be true when it came to wound healing.

They initially suspected that taking fish oil supplements would reduce inflammatory proteins in the skin of people who had blister-type wounds in the skin.

However, those taking fish oil supplements actually had more of the inflammatory proteins in their skin than those not taking fish oil supplements, suggesting that omega-3 fatty acids in the blood may increase these proteins.

"That finding was hard to explain," said Jodi McDaniel, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of nursing at Ohio State University, in a release. "These proteins may have other functions that we don't yet fully understand."

The small study involved 15 people who took the supplements containing 1.6 grams or EPA and 1.1 grams of DHA daily for four weeks and 15 who did not. EPA and DHA are polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish oil.

Though it's not clear why the omega-3s had such an effect, and researchers say more study is needed, they caution people who are planning to have surgery — or have recently had it — to consider discontinuing fish oil supplements. At the very least, they should inform their doctors that they are taking them.

"We're just trying to figure out how to evaluate what they do and how to advise people to take these supplements," said McDaneil. "Our goal isn't to stop supplement use but to fill in the picture of what conditions they help and what they might hurt."

And they haven't written off the anti-inflammatory benefits of omega-3s. "Even if we find that there are times when omega-3 fatty acids should not be taken in advance of creating an acute wound, such as in elective surgery, we still have high hopes that fish oil might be beneficial for chronic wounds in certain situations."

The study is published in the May-June 2008 issue of the journal Wound Repair and Regeneration.