A series of patients with AERD who developed COVID-19, including many who were treated with…
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.