Use of Flax Oil & Other Dietary Considerations
Although dietary treatment of Crohn’s disease is likely to be overlooked or down played in standard medical practice and in gastroenterology texts, patients with non-life threatening Crohn’s disease need to know that, in fact, dietary practices, including the addition of flax oil daily, may offer important help, including reducing need for medica-tion or surgery. In the case of flax oil, we have a safe food for persons with Crohn’s disease that has profound anti-inflammatory benefits and that may also correct underly-ing bodily imbalances involved in this condition.

Population Studies
Dr. Michael Murray observes that Crohn’s disease is almost nonexistent in countries where primitive diets are a staple but is increasingly prevalent in nations where the Western diet predominates, including high amounts of saturated fats, refined carbohydrates, and sugar. Persons at highest risk for the disease tend to consume very low amounts of raw fruit and vegetables and dietary fiber than otherwise healthy people. Other considerations in the onset of Crohn’s disease include food allergies, which are often overlooked as a causative factor.

In Japan, the traditional diet, rich in raw vegetables, fruit and omega-3 fatty acid-rich seafood, is being replaced by western dietary practices. Due to these changes, Japan has become an ongoing living research laboratory, offering a treasure of insights into the link between nutrition and disease.

Researchers from the Division of Gastroenterology, International Medical Center of Japan, Tokyo examined the correlation between the incidence of Crohn’s disease and dietary changes among Japanese from 1966 to 1985. Their analysis, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed increased incidence of Crohn’s disease was strongly correlated with increased dietary intake of total fat, especially saturated animal fat, and omega-6 fatty acids (as found in refined vegetable oils), animal protein, and milk protein; and a low intake of omega-3 fatty acids. (On the other hand, intake of fish protein and vegetable protein either had no effect or reduced its incidence.)

At the Clinic of Abdominal and Transplantation Surgery, Medical School, Hannover, Germany, researchers studied tissue samples of patients with active Crohn’s disease and those without, analyzing their fatty acid profiles in biopsy specimens of their intestinal fatty tissues. Compared with controls, persons with inflamed tissues had low levels of linoleic acid and omega-3 fatty acids, accompanied by a substantial increase of the highly inflammatory fatty acids (such as arachidonic acid). The researchers say that such changes in the fatty acid composition of the intestinal tissues seem to be the general feature of inflamed mucosa in the small and large intestine.

Use of Flax in Clinical Therapeutics
One clinical feature of Crohn’s disease is inflammation with intestinal cramping and pain. This is caused by an abnormal balance of chemical messengers called prostaglandins, especially those known as leukotriene B4, which are highly inflammatory. It has been thought that a low ratio of omega-3 fatty acids is likely to contribute to inflammation and cramping.

To test their theories, Japanese researchers investigated the therapeutic efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids on experimentally induced colitis, a condition considered the experimental equivalent of Crohn’s disease. In rats with experimentally induced colitis, feeding them omega-3 fatty acid-rich perilla oil significantly suppressed plasma leukotriene B4 compared to rats fed safflower oil (rich in omega-6 fatty acids).

This study suggests that the omega-3 fatty acids found in flax or perilla oil, can help to significantly suppress plasma leukotriene B4 and reduce colonic damage.

Therapeutic use of omega-3 fatty acids in nutritional therapy for inflammatory bowel disease was explored by German researchers with regard to ulcerative colitis, a condition closely related to Crohn’s. They note that certain fatty acids may have an important role in its treatment. In prospective, randomized and controlled studies omega-3 fatty acids were found to be therapeutically useful. A particularly important finding was that use of such oils has helped doctors to reduce the steroid doses needed.