Omega-3 DHA may influence COVID-19 severity
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Omega-3 is not a treatment for COVID-19. However, interesting preliminary research shows some correlation between omega-3 blood levels and the severity of COVID-19 disease. In this clip, Dr. Bill Harris discusses both the correlative evidence and the in silico data suggesting that omega-3 DHA may hamper SARS-CoV-2's ability to bind to the ACE2 receptor.
Dr. Patrick: So you also had a recent study. I'm kind of going back to resolving the inflammation aspect. What I think is very relevant in, you know, our 2021 world that we live in.
Dr. Harris: COVID world.
Dr. Patrick: Oh, yes. The COVID world where we have a pathogen that is in some people causing a very bad cascade of inflammation. So you published a study looking at the omega-3 index and COVID-19-associated mortality.
Dr. Harris: Right. Right. We did that with colleagues here in LA. I don't know which way I'm pointing but...
Dr. Patrick: I probably should have said that pilot pre-print hasn't actually... Has it been peer-reviewed, it's not been peer-reviewed or?
Dr. Harris: Oh, no, it was peer-reviewed and published in January. It was published in January. Yeah. And it was a pilot study because we only had access to data from 100 people which was too bad, but we did have omega-3 index levels on 100 people that had been admitted to Cedar Sinai in LA with COVID. And so we asked the question, you know, "Is there any relationship between how they did, did they live or die, and their omega-3 level?" And, again, the distribution of omega-3 levels was very narrow. You know, like I think it probably went from a low of three to a high of five, something like that, you know, but the distribution was narrow. So we weren't able to see, you know, the older people had an 8%. Nobody there in the study had an 8%. And so we looked at the people who had the highest quartile of omega-3 levels, the 25% highest compared to everybody else who was lower. And those people were really half as likely to die as people who had... And it was 0.07 P-value, so it wasn't statistically significant by standard metrics, but in the race to understand what we can do about COVID, we'll put up with a slightly non-significant strong trend in the right direction with good biology behind it to explain it. Another paper's come out from Chile just confirming the same thing. We saw the same thing.
Dr. Patrick: Okay. What about Japan? Do you know what their...because their omega-3 index is higher, do you know their mortality?
Dr. Harris: I know a group has looked at this worldwide and they looked at WHO data on COVID death and they looked at reported fish intake in the countries. And they did it by six different regions around the world. And what they showed, you know, the higher the average fish intake, the lower the risk of death from COVID. Okay. It's hard to... There's so many variables here.
Dr. Patrick: Right. Of course.
Dr. Harris: But it sings the right song. What that paper, that specific paper was most interesting to me about was not this worldwide population thing, which was just their introduction. They were doing in silico experiments, looking at the spike protein on COVID and they found that there's two conformations, an open and a closed conformation. And if it's open, then they can interact with the receptor. It's closed, it can't. They found that DHA, again in silico experiments, if it's present, will hold that thing in a closed position.
Dr. Patrick: The terrible effects of the SARS COV-2 infection go through the ACE receptor, and because a down-regulation of that receptor occurs when the spike protein binds to it, endocytosis pulls it into the cell and causes down-regulation which disrupts the whole renin-angiotensin system and lung injury.
Dr. Harris: That's a mess.
Dr. Patrick: I mean, heart injury. Exactly. That's a big mess. So.
Dr. Harris: Anyway, this is, you know, take this with a grain of salt because it was in silico experiment because it also showed that linoleic acid did the same thing.
Dr. Patrick: Can you send me that paper?
Dr. Harris: That's what prompted them to look at DHA. Somebody else had published linoleic acid had the same kind of effect, potential effect. And so they looked at DHA.
Dr. Patrick: And that's an omega-6 fatty acid for people that are not aware.
Dr. Harris: Correct. This is a classic omega-6. Right. So not all omega-6 are bad. Okay. Well, you all know. I'll send you that paper.
Dr. Patrick: Thank you. Yeah. I mean, the fact that both the DHA and linoleic acid could keep the spike protein in a closed.
Dr. Harris: Yeah. So, I mean, again, a completely different mechanism for suppressing inflammation, this would actually suppress infection if it's true.
Dr. Patrick: And well, not only... It would also suppress, you know, negative outcomes, severe outcomes through the renin-angiotensin system. Like that whole thing not happening, like the bad stuff.
An infectious disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. COVID-19, or coronavirus disease 2019, was first identified in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. The disease manifests primarily as a lower respiratory illness, but it can affect multiple organ systems, including the cardiovascular, neurological, gastrointestinal, and renal systems. Symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, and loss of smell and taste. Some infected persons, especially children, are asymptomatic. Severe complications of COVID-19 include pneumonia, sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, kidney failure, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, and cytokine storm. Treatments currently involve symptom management and supportive care. Mortality varies by country and region, but approximately 6 percent of people living in the United States who are diagnosed with COVID-19 expire.[1] 1
A critical element of the body’s immune response. Inflammation occurs when the body is exposed to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. It is a protective response that involves immune cells, cell-signaling proteins, and pro-inflammatory factors. Acute inflammation occurs after minor injuries or infections and is characterized by local redness, swelling, or fever. Chronic inflammation occurs on the cellular level in response to toxins or other stressors and is often “invisible.” It plays a key role in the development of many chronic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
A type of experiment conducted by computer simulation. In silico is a biological term to describe these experiments, similar to terms used for experiments conducted in live animals (in vivo), in cell culture (in vitro), or in tissue (in situ).
A critical regulator of blood pressure, inflammation, and body fluid homeostasis. The renin-angiotensin system is commonly described as a counter-regulatory system that plays a central role in the pathogenesis and development of various cardiovascular diseases. It is a therapeutic target for many antihypertensive drugs. Vitamin D deficiency in the setting of COVID-19 can lead to over-expression of renin and subsequent activation of the renin-angiotensin system. Disturbances in this system can drive poor outcomes in COVID-19.
A glycoprotein structure located on the surface of coronaviruses that mediates entry into host cells. The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, has a spike protein that fuses with the human ACE-2 receptor, allowing viral entry into cells of the intestines, kidney, and heart, among others. mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 contain genetic code for regions of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Following vaccination, the body produces antibodies against the spike protein, markedly reducing viral entry and replication.
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