Why consumption of omega 3 fatty acids is thought to antagonize production of prostaglandins and thromboxane?
I don’t think omega 3 fatty acids directly antagonize production of prostaglandins and thromboxane. Inflammation has an initiation phase and resolving phase. One of the major enzymes involved in transition between the two is COX-2. In the inflammatory phase, COX-2 is responsible for producing prostaglandins which are inflammatory in nature. However, once the resolving phase is initiated, COX-2 activity switches to the production of lipoxins which are produced from omega-3 fatty acids. lipoxins are anti-inflammatory and aid in tissue repair. Increasing the omega-3 fatty acid concentration should really only give COX-2 more material to make lipoxins from during the resolution phase. While this should not directly affect prostaglandins, it is possible that if you have particularly severe inflammation, if you have high omega-3 once COX-2 switches to lipoxin production, you may be able to “drown out” the inflammatory effects of residual prostaglandins with high levels of anti-inflammatory l
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