Omega-3 may help with post-surgery loss

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DUBLIN, Ireland, April 13 (UPI) -- A randomized controlled trial showed omega-3 fatty acids helped preserve muscles in patients who had surgery for esophageal cancer, Irish researchers said.

John V. Reynolds of Trinity College and St. James's Hospital, both in Dublin, and Dr. Aoife Ryan of St. James's Hospital said that omega-3 fats are essential fats found naturally in oily fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel and sardines.

"Weight loss is extremely common both before and especially after esophageal cancer surgery and any approach that can preserve weight, in particular muscle weight and strength, may represent a real advance," Reynolds said in a statement.

Patients awaiting surgery were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Both groups received a 240 ml nutritional supplement twice daily starting five days before surgery, however, patients in the treatment group received an enriched formula with omega-3 -- 2.2 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid a day.

Immediately following surgery, the supplement was given through a feeding tube for 14 days while patients recovered in hospital. Once patients could resume oral feeding, they continued drinking the supplement until 21 days post surgery.

The study, published in the Annals of Surgery, found patients without omega-3 lost an average of 4 pounds of muscle mass post surgery, but those who took omega-3 maintained all aspects of their body composition.