Not too many of us remember the days when we were forced to swallow what seemed giant spoonfuls of cod liver oil. It's good for you, mother said. What was it good for seemed to be a knowledge only grown ups were privy to, but we were assured it was good for everything, especially against winter ills, although the vile aftertaste made us wish we'd were dead at times.
Now the stuff comes in neat little gel caps, sanitized and seemingly devoid of that pervasive fish smell that sent us hiding under the bed in earlier times.
A new study seem to vindicate our parents after all. A compound extracted from fish oils has proven effective in suppressing the flu virus in mice.
The rats in the study not only survived, but were cured even in very advanced stages of the infection.
The study also tested the compound, a lipid extracted from fish oil termed PD1, on infected human lung tissue to see what effect the compound had. The results showed that the lipids inhibited replication of the virus, even in cases where the tissue had been infected with avian flu strains, some of the most dangerous for lung infections and with a higher probability of death.
What was truly valuable was the finding that the PD1, in conjuction with antiviral therapy, prevented death in mice, even when given in late stages of infection.
Since most antiviral drugs are not always effective in preventing death in humans, the finding could represent a valuable new tool in flu therapy once the compound is developed as a medicine for human use.
source : Daily Mail 3.9.13
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