骨关节炎患者的骨骼中欧米茄-6脂肪酸沉积越多，关节软骨的破坏越严重
High Levels of Omega 6 Fatty Acids Found in Bones of Osteoarthritis Patients Worsens Joint Breakdown
骨关节炎(OA)或通常称为关节炎，对美国成年人有深远的影响。这是美国成年人中最常见的残疾原因。2005年的流行病学研究表明，至少有2700万成年人患有关节炎，是第四常见的住院原因。对患有OA的人的费用和护理是令人震惊的残疾，住院治疗，关节置换，药物治疗，尚不包括在疾病的进展和婴儿潮时代出生的老年人的辅助生活或护理家庭护理的费用。2009年，超过90万的膝盖和髋关节置换手术就花了超过了420亿美元!
、
多年来，人们对骨关节炎的研究经历了许多不同的转变。人们普遍认为它是由慢性磨损、创伤、过度使用以及正常的衰老过程引起的。随着肥胖症的流行，这似乎在更多的人的产生骨关节炎起了很大的作用，由于生物力学的改变和对骨骼框架的额外重量的压力导致了组织的损伤。这一理论后来被更新，包括清楚了脂肪组织作为促炎症性内分泌器官所引起的炎症。
虽然以上的因素仍然是相关的，但我们需要了解的骨关节炎的另一个观点是，我们需要理解并将其牢记于心，因为日常习惯可以通过简单的饮食选择轻易改变。研究表明，食用富含欧米茄6脂肪酸的食物的人，他们的软骨、骨骼和滑膜液中的花生四烯酸含量明显更高，因此他们的关节出现了严重的破裂，即发展成骨关节炎。欧米茄6油通常存在于各种植物、坚果和种子油中，如植物油、大豆、红花、向日葵、玉米、杏仁、腰果等.
有趣的是，关节软骨是一种光滑的白色组织，覆盖在骨头的末端，它们聚集在一起形成关节面，这是为数不多的有大量脂质/脂肪沉积的身体组织之一。脂滴是由软骨细胞积累而成。由软骨细胞积累的脂类/脂肪的种类决定了脂肪酸是否具有保护作用，或者是否具有破坏性。关节炎的数量与脂肪酸的数量和类型有关，特别是与软骨细胞内的花生四烯酸含量有关。这意味着花生四烯酸的沉积越多，导致的软骨和滑膜液的细胞破坏越严重。
花生四烯酸是欧米茄6脂肪酸的代谢物，是前列腺素E2 (PGE2)的前体。PGE2被认为是最强大的促炎症的类花生酸。类花生酸是前列腺素通路中的信号分子，它的产生跟饮食的脂肪密切相关。欧米茄3脂肪酸不产生花生四烯酸，而欧米茄6脂肪酸可以。虽然我们需要少量的花生四烯酸用于细胞膜、大脑健康、能量生产等，但较高的花生四烯酸刺激这种高度炎症的途径。结果，疼痛、炎症和组织分解发生。
需要了解的一个关键是骨关节炎的恶化是由于在软骨，滑膜液和骨骼中产生的欧米加6脂肪酸和花生四烯酸，以及相应的破坏。这就像在你的车里放上WD 40代替机油，并期待车辆运行时没有任何问题。太多的花生四烯酸和欧米茄6脂肪酸在人体中不能很好地工作。欧米茄6脂肪酸必须与欧米茄3鱼油保持健康的比例。我们现代的生活方式，通常是不健康的15比1比或更高的欧米加6比欧米茄3脂肪酸的比例。这一高比例的Omega 6比Omega 3使身体更容易发炎，并造成死亡。由于工业化和现代社会，西方饮食在过去100年里已经转变为这种平衡。在这一饮食转变之前，摄入Omega - 3与1比1甚至更接近1比3。欧米茄3是一种强大的抗炎脂肪酸，可以抵消过量摄入欧米加6脂肪酸的潜在负面影响，有助于减轻疼痛和炎症。当你放入好的欧米茄3脂肪酸，将会积累并保护软骨和滑液免受炎症和花生四烯酸的破坏。在日常饮食中加入大量的欧米加3脂肪酸，就像把你的车换油，放入一些新鲜的、清洁的机油。它只会让身体更好地工作，并对关节健康有明显的影响。
由于这种花生四烯酸过多在关节处损害滑液，它对保护滑膜液也是至关重要的。透明质酸是一种能保护和帮助支持滑膜液的最佳化合物。
那么我们从哪里得到所有的欧米茄6脂肪酸？浅而易见，它在我们的饮食中。随着年龄的增长，每天接触不同种类的脂肪会决定我们的关节会受到怎样的保护和伤害。现在，知道如果你患有骨关节炎，你可能需要换油!
参考文献
High Levels of Omega 6 Fatty Acids Found in Bones of Osteoarthritis Patients Worsens Joint Breakdown
Osteoarthritis (OA) or commonly just called arthritis profoundly impacts adults in the United States. It is the most frequent cause of disability among adults in the USA. Epidemiological studies from 2005 show that there were at least 27 million adults with diagnosed arthritis and was the fourth most common cause of hospitalization. The cost and care for persons with OA is staggering with disability, hospitalizations, joint replacements, medications, and not to mention the cost of assisted living or nursing home care as the disease progresses and as Baby Boomers age. The bill for over 900,000 knee and hip replacements alone in 2009 was over $42 billion!
The quest for understanding osteoarthritis has taken many different turns over the years. It was commonly thought to be caused by chronic wear and tear, trauma, overuse, and the normal process of aging. Then as the obesity epidemic came along, that seemed to play a significant part in the development of more individuals with OA due to altered biomechanics and the stress of carrying extra weight on the skeletal frame caused tissue breakdown. That theory was later updated to include the understanding of the inflammation caused by the adipose tissue acting as a pro-inflammatory endocrine organ.
While the above factors are still relevant, there is another perspective with osteoarthritis that we need to understand and take to heart as this daily habit can be easily changed with simple dietary choices. Research has shown that individuals who consume foods with high levels of Omega 6 fatty acids actually have markedly higher amounts of arachidonic acid in their cartilage, bone, and synovial fluid and as a result had substantial breakdown in their joints, i.e. the development osteoarthritis. Omega 6 oils are commonly found in various plants, nut and seed oils, i.e. vegetable oil, soy, safflower, sunflower, corn, almonds, cashews, etc.
Interestingly, articular cartilage which is the smooth, white tissue that covers the ends of bones where they come together to form joints, is one of the very few body tissues that has substantial stores of lipid/fat deposits. Lipid droplets are accumulated by cartilage cells. The types of lipids/fats that accumulate by the cartilage cells determine if the fatty acids are protective or if they are destructive. The amount of arthritis actually correlates with the amount and type of fatty acid, and especially with the amount of arachidonic acid present within the cartilage cells. This means that higher levels of arachidonic acid, led to higher levels cellular breakdown in the cartilage and synovial fluid.
Arachidonic acid is a metabolite of the Omega 6 fatty acids and a precursor for prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). PGE2 is known to be one of the most powerful pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. Eicasonoids are signaling molecules in the prostaglandin pathways that are highly influenced by dietary fats. Omega 3 oils do not produce arachidonic acid, whereas Omega 6 oils do. While we need a small amount of arachidonic acid for cell membranes, brain health, energy production etc, in higher amounts archidonic acid stimulates this highly inflammatory pathway. As a result, pain, inflammation, and tissue breakdown occurs.
A key point to understand is the fact that osteoarthritis is markedly worsened by the actual build up of Omega 6 oils and arachidonic acid in the cartilage, synovial fluid, and bones with consequential destruction. This is like putting WD 40 in place of motor oil in your car and expecting the vehicle to run without any problems. Too much arachidonic acid and Omega 6 oils do not work well in the human body. Omega 6 oils must be kept in a healthy ratio with Omega 3 fish oils. With our modern lifestyle, the ratio is commonly an unhealthy 15 to 1 ratio or higher of Omega 6 to Omega 3. This ratio of higher amounts of Omega 6 to Omega 3 puts the body into more inflammation and takes a toll. The western diet has shifted into this balance over the last 100 years because of industrialization and modern society. Prior to this dietary shift, the intake of Omega 6 to Omega 3 was closer to a ratio of 1 to 1 or even 1 to 3. Omega 3 oils are powerful anti-inflammatory oils that can counteract potential negative effects from too much dietary intake of Omega 6 and help reduce pain and inflammation. When you put in the good Omega 3 oils, this will build into and protect the cartilage and synovial fluid from breaking down from inflammation and arachidonic acid. Putting in the good Omega 3 oils into the diet in substantial quantities, is like taking your car in for an oil change and putting in some fresh, clean motor oil. It just makes the body work better and clearly makes an impact on joint health.
Because of this arachidonic acid excess in the joint damages synovial fluid, it is also vital to protect that synovial fluid. The single best compound that protects and helps support the product of synovial fluid is hyaluronic acid. Read more about the best absorbable form of hyaluronic acid.
So where do we get all of this Omega 6 fatty acid build-up. It is in our diet. This is plain and simple. Lifelong daily exposure to different types of fats determines what will end up protecting or harming our joints as we age.
