In people who eat lots of red meat, cooked with some oil and use some types of polyunsaturated fatty acids and margarine heavy, increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease, according to a study of more than 200,000 Europeans.
These foods are rich in linoleic acid and the study found that people more omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids consumed were twice as likely to develop ulcerative colitis.
The team of Dr. Andrew Hart of the University of East Anglia in Britain, also found that consuming more eicosapentaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid in fish and fish oil was associated with a reduced risk of disease.
While the body needs a certain amount of linoleic acid to survive, as stated Hart told Reuters Health, the excess accumulates in the lining of the colon and, if released, it induces inflammation.
The omega-3 fatty acid does the opposite: “It inhibits inflammation,” he said.
To investigate the relationship between fatty acids and ulcerative colitis, which is chronic inflammation of the lining of the intestine, the team analyzed data from the European Prospective Investigation into essay Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), which includes more than half a million people 10 European countries.
The analysis included 203,193 men and women, between 30 and 74. Within two to 11 years of follow up, 126 people developed ulcerative colitis.
Those in the highest quartile of intake of linoleic acid (13 to 38 grams daily) were 2.5 times more likely to have developed the disease than people who consumed just being 2 to 8 grams per day.
There is no effective treatment for food ulcerative colitis, Hart said, but the results raise the possibility that a diet low in linoleic acid may be useful.
According to Hart, a Mediterranean dietary pattern rich in fruits, vegetables and nut oil, would be reduced in linoleic acid and rich in omega 3. The researcher found that if omega-3s prevent ulcerative colitis, eating a couple servings of fish per week provide protection.