It has been suggested that fish oil is beneficial for arthritis patients. A new study just published on Cell identified the receptor for fish oil. The receptor is a g-protein coupled receptor, named GPR120. Knockout studies in mice demonstrated that fish oil can reduce the production of inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-6, and MCP-1 in a GPR120 dependent manner.

Although data with human study is not available yet, there are several facts worth mentioning. In US, one out of 5 adults (22%) has arthritis according to CDC, and 50% over 65 adults have arthritis. Believe it or not, only 1.6% of  Japanese have arthritis. They eat 75 lbs fish per person per year.