The study by Loma Linda University Health had rats with spinal cord injury fed with control feed and feed enriched with omega-3 fatty acids for a total of 16 weeks. The pain tests conducted on the animals showed that the group consuming the omega-3 fatty acids enriched diet exhibited significantly less pain.
“One of the main complaints of patients after a spinal cord injury is pain,” said the study’s first author, Johnny D. Figueroa, Ph.D. “We are looking at strategies to reduce the pain, and we are finding that diet can play an important role in pain management,” he said.
The study has been accepted for publication in the scientific journal Neuroscience