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another very interesting artice,which says we should give Flaxseed oil a chance for at least 1 year.
You can only get advantage from it in all ways.
And remember Fish oil is different from Flaxseed oil ! The chain of omega 3 in fish oil is long,while the chain in flaxseed is short . There's a difference !
Short omega 3 chain (flaxseed) is much more effective for MGD ,than the long one !
Long omega 3 (fish oil)3 is much more effective for inflammation !
The best combo in my opinion is to take both of them /Long+short omega3 chain / !
"Long term intake of omega 3 fish oil causes vit E deficiency ,so better combine it with vit E
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2646454/
In summary, the importance of omega-3 essential FAs in the diet is evident, as well as the need to return to a more physiologic omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 4:1 rather than the ratio of 15–18:1 provided by current Western diets. To improve the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential FAs, it is necessary to decrease the intake of omega-6 FAs from vegetable oils and to increase the intake of omega-3 FAs by using oils rich in omega-3 FAs. Experimental studies have provided evidence that dietary supplementation of omega-3 FAs modifies inflammatory and immune reactions, making omega-3 FAs potential therapeutic agents for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Their effects are brought about by modulation of the type and amount of eicosanoids and cytokines and by altering gene expression. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a change in the FA saturation content in meibum. There is a clear need for more carefully designed and controlled clinical trials in the therapeutic application of omega-3 FAs in blepharitis, MGD, and the evaporative dry eye.
My initial hypothesis was that overwhelming the FA metabolic pathway with omega-3 FA molecules results in competitive inhibition of omega-6 FA metabolism, reducing the overall inflammatory state of the eyelid margin and meibomian glands. As blepharitis, MGD, and dry eye are thought to be inflammatory diseases, a reduction in the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio may alleviate the associated discomforts patients experience from these chronic disease states. The increase in the plasma and RBC concentrations of omega-3 and the decrease in the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio that were measured in the study population demonstrate that dietary supplementation with flaxseed oil, as a source of omega-3 FAs, can affect the FA metabolic pathway. The improvements found in OSDI scores in the flaxseed oil group, as well as the decrease in lid margin telangiectasias and meibomian gland blockage, further support this hypothesis.
The second hypothesis assumed that supplementing the patients’ diets with high amounts of omega-3 FAs could change the FA composition and properties of meibomian gland secretions in patients with blepharitis and MGD. I theorized that this change may be beneficial in tear stabilization and may prevent inflammation of meibomian gland ducts and meibum stagnation. There was a significant increase in the saturated FA content of the meibum in the flaxseed oil group at 1 year (P = .04), but no change was found in the olive oil group. In both groups (flaxseed and olive oil) there was a statistically significant improvement in the TBUT, meibum quality, and number of visible ducts as compared to baseline. Though there was a slight change in the meibomian gland secretions detected, these were actually found in the meibum quality of both groups.
Statistically significant findings were seen only when the data were segregated to examine the “healthy” meibum (score < 1.5). Patients with healthy meibum had less meibomian gland orifice stenosis (P = .04), higher plasma omega-3 FA levels (P = .08), lower plasma omega-6 to omega-3 ratios (P = .03), and lower RBC omega-6 to omega-3 ratios (P = .05). Lower meibum saturated FAs levels (28%, P = .04) were found in the healthy meibum group. Saturated FAs, which are solid at body temperature, have higher melting points than their unsaturated FA counterparts, which are often liquid at body temperature. The fact that the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio was not correlated with the meibum score may mean that there is a ratio threshold in which the ocular health begins to improve. In other words, there is not a graded effect as a significant correlation would indicate; rather, a threshold ratio is required for a clinical change to be identified. Further analysis of this threshold ratio is required.
Current drug therapies have many side effects and do not treat both evaporative and aqueous deficient components of the dry eye. Nutritional supplementation with omega-3 FAs, either as an alternative or an adjunct therapy, holds great promise in the treatment of blepharitis, MGD, and the evaporative dry eye. In designing clinical interventions, genetic variation and sex-related differences in androgen levels should be taken into consideration, as the level of cytokines is, to a great extent, genetically determined, and the dose or amount of omega-3 FAs necessary to suppress the proinflammatory state may vary. This study supports the role of inflammation in the etiology of MGD and the resulting evaporative dry eye disease. It also demonstrates, for the first time scientifically, that omega-3 FA dietary supplementation can improve both ocular health and patient dry eye symptoms. Still, the number of patients examined in this study was small, and further work in a larger group of patients is warranted. Ultimately, the use flaxseed oil (ALA), fish oil (EPA and DHA), and potentially olive oil (polyphenols) may have an enhanced effect on ocular inflammation. Additional work is also needed to elucidate numerous treatment components, including the effects on meibum, inflammatory mediators in the tears, and the lacrimal gland based on sex, age, and supplement dose.
another very interesting artice,which says we should give Flaxseed oil a chance for at least 1 year.
You can only get advantage from it in all ways.
And remember Fish oil is different from Flaxseed oil ! The chain of omega 3 in fish oil is long,while the chain in flaxseed is short . There's a difference !
Short omega 3 chain (flaxseed) is much more effective for MGD ,than the long one !
Long omega 3 (fish oil)3 is much more effective for inflammation !
The best combo in my opinion is to take both of them /Long+short omega3 chain / !
"Long term intake of omega 3 fish oil causes vit E deficiency ,so better combine it with vit E
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2646454/
In summary, the importance of omega-3 essential FAs in the diet is evident, as well as the need to return to a more physiologic omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 4:1 rather than the ratio of 15–18:1 provided by current Western diets. To improve the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential FAs, it is necessary to decrease the intake of omega-6 FAs from vegetable oils and to increase the intake of omega-3 FAs by using oils rich in omega-3 FAs. Experimental studies have provided evidence that dietary supplementation of omega-3 FAs modifies inflammatory and immune reactions, making omega-3 FAs potential therapeutic agents for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Their effects are brought about by modulation of the type and amount of eicosanoids and cytokines and by altering gene expression. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a change in the FA saturation content in meibum. There is a clear need for more carefully designed and controlled clinical trials in the therapeutic application of omega-3 FAs in blepharitis, MGD, and the evaporative dry eye.
My initial hypothesis was that overwhelming the FA metabolic pathway with omega-3 FA molecules results in competitive inhibition of omega-6 FA metabolism, reducing the overall inflammatory state of the eyelid margin and meibomian glands. As blepharitis, MGD, and dry eye are thought to be inflammatory diseases, a reduction in the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio may alleviate the associated discomforts patients experience from these chronic disease states. The increase in the plasma and RBC concentrations of omega-3 and the decrease in the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio that were measured in the study population demonstrate that dietary supplementation with flaxseed oil, as a source of omega-3 FAs, can affect the FA metabolic pathway. The improvements found in OSDI scores in the flaxseed oil group, as well as the decrease in lid margin telangiectasias and meibomian gland blockage, further support this hypothesis.
The second hypothesis assumed that supplementing the patients’ diets with high amounts of omega-3 FAs could change the FA composition and properties of meibomian gland secretions in patients with blepharitis and MGD. I theorized that this change may be beneficial in tear stabilization and may prevent inflammation of meibomian gland ducts and meibum stagnation. There was a significant increase in the saturated FA content of the meibum in the flaxseed oil group at 1 year (P = .04), but no change was found in the olive oil group. In both groups (flaxseed and olive oil) there was a statistically significant improvement in the TBUT, meibum quality, and number of visible ducts as compared to baseline. Though there was a slight change in the meibomian gland secretions detected, these were actually found in the meibum quality of both groups.
Statistically significant findings were seen only when the data were segregated to examine the “healthy” meibum (score < 1.5). Patients with healthy meibum had less meibomian gland orifice stenosis (P = .04), higher plasma omega-3 FA levels (P = .08), lower plasma omega-6 to omega-3 ratios (P = .03), and lower RBC omega-6 to omega-3 ratios (P = .05). Lower meibum saturated FAs levels (28%, P = .04) were found in the healthy meibum group. Saturated FAs, which are solid at body temperature, have higher melting points than their unsaturated FA counterparts, which are often liquid at body temperature. The fact that the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio was not correlated with the meibum score may mean that there is a ratio threshold in which the ocular health begins to improve. In other words, there is not a graded effect as a significant correlation would indicate; rather, a threshold ratio is required for a clinical change to be identified. Further analysis of this threshold ratio is required.
Current drug therapies have many side effects and do not treat both evaporative and aqueous deficient components of the dry eye. Nutritional supplementation with omega-3 FAs, either as an alternative or an adjunct therapy, holds great promise in the treatment of blepharitis, MGD, and the evaporative dry eye. In designing clinical interventions, genetic variation and sex-related differences in androgen levels should be taken into consideration, as the level of cytokines is, to a great extent, genetically determined, and the dose or amount of omega-3 FAs necessary to suppress the proinflammatory state may vary. This study supports the role of inflammation in the etiology of MGD and the resulting evaporative dry eye disease. It also demonstrates, for the first time scientifically, that omega-3 FA dietary supplementation can improve both ocular health and patient dry eye symptoms. Still, the number of patients examined in this study was small, and further work in a larger group of patients is warranted. Ultimately, the use flaxseed oil (ALA), fish oil (EPA and DHA), and potentially olive oil (polyphenols) may have an enhanced effect on ocular inflammation. Additional work is also needed to elucidate numerous treatment components, including the effects on meibum, inflammatory mediators in the tears, and the lacrimal gland based on sex, age, and supplement dose.
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