The placebo effect can be very powerful, with either medicine or nutritional supplements. In my own practice, I recall several occasions when I prescribed an initial tiny dose of drugs to patients, only to have them declare they were miraculously cured of their ailment the very next day. For this reason, many studies are controlled with a placebo group.

One way to eliminate this phenomenon is to evaluate medicine and nutrients using animals, as they obviously cannot be swayed by emotion or the anticipated effects of a product. With this in mind, I wanted to share an interesting study recently published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association¹.

A 12-week study evaluated a total of 131 dogs who suffered from stable chronic osteoarthritis. All the dogs were treated with Carprofen, an anti-inflammatory medication. One group received food enriched with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids, while a control group received only a small amount of the nutrient. At the end of the study, researchers found that the dogs consuming more fish oil omega-3s were perceived to be in less pain compared to the control group, allowing for a reduction in their medication dosage.

There have been many studies on this amazing nutrient confirming its benefits in humans with joint discomfort. I believe it is essential for people of all ages, and I recommend adults consume between 1,200 and 2,400 mg daily. When choosing a fish oil product, I urge you to look for one that is molecularly distilled to ensure harmful toxins have been removed.

1. Fritsch D, Allen T, Dodd C, Jewell D, Sixby K, Leventhal P, Brejda J, Hahn K. A multicenter study of the effect of dietary supplementation with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids on carprofen dosage in dogs with osteoarthritis. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. March 2010 236(5):535-9.