Study Determines Why Aspirin, Omega-3s Do A Body Good

U.S. researchers have figured out how low-dose aspirin and omega-3 fatty acids confer so many anti-inflammatory health benefits. Aspirin, they found, triggers the production of molecules called resolvins that are manufactured naturally by the body from omega-3 fatty acids. The resolvins – especially resolvin D3 – shut off the inflammation that is linked to destructive conditions like inflammatory lung disease, heart disease and arthritis. The researchers hope that investigators will now be able to study the pro-resolving and anti-inflammatory actions of resolvin D3 in other systems and eventually be able to tell which inflammation-associated diseases might be treated with D3.