RLS and Omega 3 Fish Oil: Hello... - Restless Legs Syn...

Restless Legs Syndrome

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RLS and Omega 3 Fish Oil

20 Replies

Hello everybody I just wanted to share this article about the benefits of Omega 3 on RLS, it might be exaggerating too much, but we can at least share our experiences regarding to this issue, here is the article :

n-3 fatty acids (popularly referred to as w-3 fatty acids or omega-3 fatty acids) are a family of unsaturated fatty acids that have in common a final carbon-carbon double bond in the n-3 position; that is, the third bond from the methyl end of the fatty acid.94

Essential fatty acids supplement vitamins can include health increasing flax seed and fish oil and cod liver oil. These polyunsaturated fats have been PROVEN to be healthy nutrition for the heart and brain and just about every other system in the body. Nearly every system in the body can benefit from Omega 3 natural properties, including the cardiovascular system, immune system, circulatory system, reproductive system, NERVOUS SYSTEM as well as joints.95

Studies over the past two years have consistently confirmed that Omega 3, a substance lacking in today's diet, is a key component in the brain's development and proper functioning.96

It offers freedom from pain and inflammation. Omega 3 fish oil fatty acids, particularly epa, have a very positive effect on your inflammatory response. Through several mechanisms, they REGULATE your body's inflammation cycle, which prevents and relieves painful conditions like arthritis, prostatitis, cystitis and anything else ending in "itis."97

Unlike drugs created for inflammation. Omega3 is systemic. It is not pointed at one thing - it helps all inflammation. This is an important point. Usually when you are sick only one problem manifests itself. Most likely there are other problems underneath the surface. So by decreasing all inflammation you may very well be increasing your health.95

Research has suggested that the in-vitro anti-inflammatory activity of n-3 acids translates into clinical benefits. Cohorts of neck pain patients and of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers have demonstrated benefits comparable to those receiving standard NSAIDs.94

According to an article by Judith Horstman for Arthritis Today "There's STRONG EVIDENCE that fish oil supplements with omega-3 fatty acids can ease rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms, help prevent Raynaud's syndrome spasms and possibly relieve some lupus symptoms.96

In growing nerve cells, there is a small protein called syntaxin 3. When activated, this protein enhances the growth of extensions to nerve cells, which is critical in brain development and also in repair of damaged nervous tissue. Recent work has shown that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids ACTIVATE syntaxin 3, and this may in part be the mechanism of action of these fats on the brain.98

The supplement should be high in EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). EPA, along with DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are the two active ingredients in Omega 3. EPA is considered to be the therapeutic element. It is thus IMPORTANT to purchase a supplement HIGHER in EPA than DHA.96

SUMMARY: Omega 3 will help heal and balance the frayed nerves that are present as a result of prolonged inflammation. It will also help to protect your nerve cells from any future complications. Omega 3 is also an anti-inflammatory and will help to heal the inflammation that is causing your restless legs.

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20 Replies

Hi, i have to agree that omega 3 has lots of benefits for the body. But as for using for an anti inflammatory to heal your restless legs, i have to disagree, RLS has nothing as far as i know to do with inflammation. Its neurological.

jonasmichael profile image
jonasmichael in reply to

It helped me!

thedragon profile image
thedragon

Rls may be a neurological problem.as in a problem originating in the brain cells, but I'm sure with all the "body " symptoms I have , all my nerve endings must be inflamed and freyed ..so anti inflamatory drugs like ibuprofen do help the symptoms of rls. It's a first line painkiller...

Also omega fish oils are recommended for ADHC and ADHD does have a connection with RLS. Our mums were right...cod liver oil every day is good for you!

thedragon profile image
thedragon in reply to thedragon

Sorry....both should read ADHD

in reply to thedragon

I agree with you dear dragon :)

thedragon profile image
thedragon in reply to

I will give this more thought. It can do no harm! It's strange what we do find to help. I recently came across a Technique called oil pulling....it's meant to help with gum disease. You have to "wash" sesame oil through your mouth and ". .pull" It through your teeth...for 20 mins each day. It's working brilliantly and the dark bags around my eyes have gone. An old old Method.

nightdancer profile image
nightdancer in reply to thedragon

Anti-inflammatories do not help everyone's RLS pain. In my own experience it does not touch it. The we are all different" RLS clause. :)

jonasmichael profile image
jonasmichael in reply to thedragon

Ketogenic diets and Omega 3 supplements are the cure for RLS.

nightdancer profile image
nightdancer

Like Rahim said, it is overhyped at the very LEAST. It may help some inflammation, but as far as this particular "article", too many promises, and no studies behind them. As far as taking the Omega 3, it is not a bad thing to do. RLS, as far I know is not connected directly to ADHD, it is "mistaken for ADHD" in kids, and misdiagnosed as such; not ALL the time but in more than half the cases. I have worked with some families that as soon as they got rid of the mistaken (not in all) ADHD dx's, and the kids got treated for RLS, then the focus was on the right thing. Pediatricians need to learn more about RLS in young kids and not jump to the conclusion that because a kid cannot sit still in school, he/she has ADHD. :(

If this site is selling that Omega 3 supplement, than you may want to read about it on a web site that is not selling it. You get more of a balanced approach. :)

in reply to nightdancer

Right :)

thedragon profile image
thedragon in reply to nightdancer

From what I`ve been reading , there is a strong possibility that children with ADHD will develop RLS later in life...it wasnt about misdiagnosis...Although i do feel strongly that ADHD is "over diagnosed " in a lot of cases..its a great "label" for kids who are hyperactive from additives, boredom etc..too easy to "give them a pill" instead of sorting out the root cause! anyway thats another story!

I am mostly interested on this part of the article which says :

"In growing nerve cells, there is a small protein called syntaxin 3. When activated, this protein enhances the growth of extensions to nerve cells, which is critical in brain development and also in repair of damaged nervous tissue. Recent work has shown that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids ACTIVATE syntaxin 3, and this may in part be the mechanism of action of these fats on the brain."

Like Magnesium which has good relief on some of us, Omega 3 may help few others too.

thedragon profile image
thedragon in reply to

that is really interesting....its a different way of thinking about treatment for RLS..instead of trying to fix the cause of the rls , which isnt helping many of us on this site, its looking at trying to fix and ease the damage it may have caused.

I know what i am trying to say but not saying it very well !

in reply to thedragon

Dear Dragon

You are right about the importance of the cause of RLS.

That is the main issue, if I knew the cause ( which I tried for years to find the cause and I found noting ), Then I wouldn't bother myself searching in different paths......... :(

Hope is a best tool to light up the way and at the same time energize your engine to move on dear tallula.

maskarita profile image
maskarita

Hi everyone. I think the key here is the amount of omega-3 you take. 2000 mg(EPA+DHA) a day really works in my case. I believe less than 1000 mg(EPA+DHA) is not enough to get any opinion because its not very effective. It's worth a try.

I am going to disagree with most of you and say that inflammation does play a role in rls. Here's a trusted publication from the UK government and their reports.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/222...

Zenc profile image
Zenc

Reviving this old thread as I stumbled upon it searching for connections between fish oil and RLS at 2am while wanting to jump out of my skin. I have had RLS for most of my adult life but for the last 5 years or so it had completely disappeared. Well, up until a week or two ago that is. It was again driving me mad at night and getting my wife ready to kill me.

After many nights of this I started to try and figure out what in the hell was different. What am I doing or not doing now that is causing this to come back. Well... turns out it was my fish oil.. I ran out a few weeks back and had been taking it religiously for years. More due to studies on how great it is for brain health and just about everything else.

Now I have no clue behind the science of all this but I can tell you from my personal experience, this was a factor. Whatever deficiencies it fills, it helps. I am sure dosage and weight all matter in some way so I will give you some details there.

I am 6.2 and 210lbs. I take 2 Carlson Super DHA (carlsonlabs.com/super-dha-g... every morning. I selected this one for the very high DHA levels. No fishy after taste is also a plus.

Mind you I do some other things regularly that likely also contribute/help.

-Exercise an hour 5x a week

-Eat pretty healthy, not a ton of sugars

-stay away from caffeine after 1-2pm

Anyhow, I started taking my fish oil again and not a sign of RLS at night. Mind you a just started again but so far its looking good. Hope this helps someone else. Cheers!

-mark

jonasmichael profile image
jonasmichael

Omega 3 incredibly helps with RLS. Before trying omega 3 I tried horrible medications, magnesium (all kind), exercising more, iron supplements, etc. Anything worked as Omega 3 did. I take 6 capsules before bedtime and I almost like never feel anything. The science behind it I don’t know but it works for me and I strongly recommend you to try it. :)

Markes profile image
Markes

It seems Omega 3 work just on the spot. I eat big portion of Salmon after 2pm and evening my legs don't jump.

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