Consumption of fish oil alters the body’s production of certain
substances in the class of chemicals called prostaglandins. Some
prostaglandins increase inflammation while others decrease it.
The prostaglandins whose production is enhanced by fish oil fall
into the anti-inflammatory category. Based on this, fish oil has
been tried as a treatment for early stages of , with positive
results. It is thought to significantly reduce symptoms without
causing side effects and may magnify the benefits of standard
arthritis drugs. However, while some standard medications can
slow the progression of the disease, there is no evidence that
fish oil can do this. Much weaker evidence hints that fish oil
might be helpful for the related disease ankylosing spondylitis.
Fish oil’s apparent anti-inflammatory properties are the likely
explanation for its apparent benefit in (menstrual pain), as
seen in two studies. Similarly, fish oil may be helpful for the
autoimmune disease (However, two studies failed to find fish oil
helpful