Several new things in the news lately to help COPD!! I try them all. Dr. Rowen is the only doctor I know of that watches for new research on COPD. I received this from his e-letter today:


New fat fights chronic lung disease


Chronic lung disease is a growing problem in this country. And it's happening in people who don't smoke. It's hitting young and old alike. And it's hitting in a variety of ways. But whether it's asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis, or chronic bronchitis, there's a cheap and easy way to treat it.

Researchers found that one particular omega-3 fatty acid improves ventilation in chronic lung disease. It's DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). They collected data from 593 adults in Germany. The data confirmed a negative association for lung function for the fatty acid pamitoleic acid (which comes from dietary saturated fat). At the same time, DHA has a positive effect on lung hyper-reactivity.

We've known for some time that fish oil can help these patients. But this study focused on DHA in particular. DHA is a marine omega 3. However, you don't have to take the marine variety to see results.

Unlike its counterpart EPA, you can get a vegetarian marine DHA. It goes by the name Neuromins. This DHA is extracted from sea algae. If you have chronic lung disease, you might want to give it a try, perhaps one capsule twice daily. You can find it in many health food stores and on the Internet.


Ref: "Association of fatty acids in serum phospholipids with lung function and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in adults," Kompauer I, Demmelmair H, et al, Eur J Epidemiol, 2008; 23(3): 175-90.