PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
8-Sep-2014
Contact: Emma Dickinson edickinson@bmj.com 44-020-738-36529 BMJ-British Medical Journal http://www.twitter.com/bmj_latest
But high doses were no better than dummy (placebo treatment), the findings indicated.
The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil are able to cross over from the bloodstream into heart cells where they work to stabilise heart rhythm and protect against heart attacks.
This is particularly important for people with epilepsy because they have a significantly higher risk of having a heart attack than those without the condition.
And experimental research indicates that omega 3 fatty acids can also cross over into the central nervous system, where they reduce the excitability of brain cells which trigger seizures.
But previous research looking at the impact of high dose fish oil on seizure frequency in people whose epilepsy no longer responded to treatment, found that it didn't affect seizure frequency.
The researchers in the current study wanted to know what difference, if any, low dose fish oil made to seizure frequency and/or cardiovascular health.
Twenty four people, whose epilepsy was no longer responsive to drugs were therefore given three separate treatments, each lasting 10 weeks, and separated by a period of 6 weeks.
Read this article:
Fish oil may help curb seizure frequency in epilepsy