Meat oil linked to bowel disease

Thursday July 23rd, 2009

A common oil found in many foods is linked to the development of an unpleasant bowel disease, researchers report today.

The oil, linolieic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid, and is found in red meat, some cooking oils and some margarines.

According to the new study it may be involved in as many as one third of cases of ulcerative colitis.

In contrast, eating fish can help prevent the disease, researchers found.

The disease can cause severe bleeding and is linked to an increased risk of bowel cancer.

The findings come from a study of more than 200,000 people in four European countries filling in regular food diaries.

Some 126 people developed the disease in a four year period - at an average age of 60, according to the report in Gut.

The researchers found that people who consumed the most linoleic acid were two and a half times as likely to develop the condition as those who ate the least.

In contrast, those with high levels of fish in the diet and of the omega 3 oil that it contains faced a 77 per cent reduced risk of developing the disease.

Researcher Dr Andrew Hart, of the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, writes: "If the association is causative, nearly a third of cases - 30 per cent - of ulcerative colitis could be attributable to high intakes of linoleic acid."

Gut on-line 2009; doi 10.1136/gut.2008.16908

Tags: Allergies & Asthma | Europe | Gastroenterology | Nutrition & Healthy Eating | UK News

Printer friendly page