Dodge autoimmune disease with this classic combo

The Feast of the Seven Fishes might be my favorite Christmas Eve tradition ever.  

And not just because it’s been a huge part of my own Italian-American family’s festivities… 

I love it simply because it’s a perfect example of how there’s plenty of room for truly healthy food at your holiday table. And because it shows how you really don’t need cookies and eggnog to celebrate the season.  

Of course, fatty, wild-caught fish may not be top of mind for most people during this time of year. But allow me to explain why it SHOULD be… 

Cut autoimmune risk by nearly a quarter 

Fish and seafood offer a powerful combination of vital nutrients: all-important omega-3 fatty acids in the form of DHA/EPA and vitamin D.  

And in a large, prospective randomized trial, researchers found that supplementing with these nutrients—fish oil and D—could help to prevent autoimmune disease.   

Of course, the initial focus of the study was to see how these nutrients influenced cancer and cardiovascular disease. But I think you’ll agree that this unexpected finding is just as impressive.  

Results showed that five years of vitamin D supplementation led to a 22 percent drop in autoimmune disease risk. Omega-3 fatty acids delivered a similar benefit, dropping risk by 18 percent.   

And when you consider that autoimmune illnesses are among the toughest conditions to manage effectively, I think you’ll agree these findings are quite welcoming. (Not to mention all of the other health benefits of D and fish oil, which I frequently reveal right here in my Reality Health Check and monthly Logical Health Alternatives newsletter.)   

But this isn’t the first time research has pointed to these simple nutrients as autoimmune solutions: One 2013 observational study linked vitamin D from UV light exposure to a lower risk of Crohn’s disease—a devastating autoimmune gastrointestinal (GI) condition.  

And then, there’s the good old Nurses’ Health Study—which has linked both high blood levels of vitamin D and sunnier climates with lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).   

Start supplementing today 

As for omega-3’s, plenty of studies show that people who eat more fish and have higher blood levels of these healthy fats also benefit from lower risk of RA, lower levels of rheumatoid markers in general, and lower odds of developing any kind of inflammatory arthritis.  

And yet, you don’t hear too much about any of these studies. Gee… I wonder why?   

Call me crazy, but if this were a pharmaceutical drug we were talking about, there would already be a mountain of money thrown at the pursuit of a patented formula. But alas, Mother Nature couldn’t care less about kickbacks. 

The doses used in the study were small: only 50 mcg (2,000 IU) of vitamin D and 1,000 mg of EPA/DHA fish oil. But I routinely recommend up to three times those amounts on a daily basis. In fact, I typically prescribe 250 mcg (10,000 IU) of vitamin D3 and 3,000 mg of EPA/DHA per day. 

So, especially if you have a family history of autoimmune disease—and even if you don’t—I highly recommend supplementing with these two nutrients immediately, if you haven’t already.  

They both have permanent spots on my “Desert Island” supplement list for a reason. (Check out my latest list in the August 2020 issue of Logical Health Alternatives.) And if you ask me, there’s no better stocking stuffer around. 

Source: 

“Vitamin D and Omega-3 Supplements Reduce Autoimmune Disease Risk.” Medscape Medical News, 11/07/2021. (medscape.com/viewarticle/962462)