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Linseed oil taken orally improves dry eye symptoms in Sjögren's patients
BRASILIA — Small doses of linseed oil, given orally, improved inflammation and other dry eye symptoms in patients with Sjögren's syndrome, according to a researcher speaking here.
"Linseed oil improved significantly the symptoms of dry eye," said Manuel Neuzimar Pinheiro Jr., MD, in a presentation at the Brazilian Congress of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Pinheiro evaluated the effects of linseed oil supplementation in 38 patients separated into three groups. Patients were treated with either 1 g of linseed oil orally, 2 g of linseed oil or no supplementation.
Patients in the two groups that received linseed oil showed a significant improvement in symptoms of dry eye compared with control patients. However, there was no significant difference between the two linseed oil-treated groups, Dr. Pinheiro said.
Both linseed oil-treated groups also had an improvement in inflammation and showed no adverse effects, he noted.
Dr. Pinheiro said the linseed oil could possibly be affecting the cellular membrane and increasing adhesiveness, improving fluidity and increasing cell production.