Low fat diet with fish oils can reduce LTB4 levels

A low-fat diet supplemented with dietary fish oil (Max-EPA) results in improvement of psoriasis and in formation of leukotriene B₅

An older study, published in 1989, indicated that eating a low fat diet can reduce the body’s leukotriene B₄ levels. Leukotrienes are signaling molecules that cause inflammatory and vascular reactions. Individuals suffering from Samter’s Triad/AERD generally have higher systemic levels of leukotrienes. A low fat diet may be able to reduce the effects of LTB₄ by replacing arachidonic acid with eicosapentaenoic acid. Unlike arachidonic acid eicosapentaenoic acid is not metabolized to LTB₄, but rather to LTB₅. The original study was done to help individuals suffering from an autoimmune skin condition called psoriasis. Patients were placed on a low fat diet with fish oil for four months. Fifty eight percent of the patients who completed the study saw improvement in their psoriasis suggesting that a low fat diet with fish oil could improve the condition of individuals with psoriasis. It is possible that this diet may also be beneficial for other individuals suffering from leukotriene-related disorders, such as Samter’s Triad/AERD.