Eicosapentaenoic acid efficacy

The results of clinical studies suggest that therapy with dietary eicosapentaenoic acid decreases both morning stiffness and the number of tender joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and erythema associated with psoriasis. The efficacy of dietary eicosapentaenoic acid approximates that of the NSAIDs. These preliminary results and the near absence of significant adverse effects suggest that dietary alteration or supplementation to provide 1-4 g/d of eicosapentaenoic acid may be a beneficial addition to conventional treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. 

Kang and Leaf provided evidence that PUFAs block sodium currents only in the free form (Kang Leaf, 1994). Incorporated in the membrane, bound to albumin, or esteri-fied, they are inactive. They also showed that the efficacy depends on the number of double bonds, the n-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) being the most effective (Kang Leaf, 1994). Finally, they showed that PUFAs have a similar action on calcium channels (Xiao, Gomez, Morgan, Lederer Leaf, 1997), which behave in much the same way as sodium channels. 

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