Omega-3 Fatty Acids Fighting Inflammation Via Cannabinoids

Cascading chemical reactions were revealed in animals tissues studies that convert omega-3 fatty acids into cannabinoids with anti-inflammatory benefits and lacking in psychotropic highs, as published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids can be found it food such as eggs, nuts, meat, and fish that the body will convert into endocannabinoids which the body produces naturally. The body’s immune system can be supported by endocannabinoids and cannabinoids are both promising targets for development of anti-inflammatory drugs says Aditi Das of the University of Illinois.

THC was first discovered and isolated in 1964 by Raphael Mechoulam. Cake sliced were dosed with 10mg of pure THC to test whether the compound produced europhoria, resulting in subjects giggling and laughing, becoming talkative, and some lethargic, and confirmed TCH was a psychotropic cannabinoid. In 1992 it was discovered that endocannabinoids were produced within the body naturally, other endocannabinoids have been identified since then not not all have known functions.

Cannabinoids bind to two cannabinoid receptors; one typically found in the nervous system, and the other in the immune system with some binding to these receptors to elicit anti-inflammatory and anti-pain action. The scientists discovered an enzymatic pathway that converts omega-3 derived endocannabinoids into anti-inflammatory molecules that are more potent and predominantly bind to immune system receptors; demonstrating how omega-3 fatty acids produce some of the medical qualities as marijuana but lack in psychotropic effects.

Some omega-3s can be converted to cannabinoids within the gut, which may hold some of the mechanisms that may explain some of the effects. Some suggest that there is possibility that the endocannabinoid system just may end up being the body’s primary endocrine system.