Uni study proves old wives’ tale true
SOMETIMES old wives’ tales handed down by grandma really work. That’s because they often contain more than a grain of truth.
Take “An apple a day keeping the doctor away” as an example – everyone knows fresh fruit is packed with flu-fighting vitamin C, which is great at preventing all kinds of illnesses, so munching on an apple on a regular basis makes sense.
Then there’s another that everyone knows: “Eat up your fish. It’s brain food.” Although the evidence for that is sketchier, according to Monash University Malaysia’s (Monash Malaysia) Dr Ahmad Faroukh Musa, a fish diet does make a huge difference.
The biggest beneficiaries, however, are not children, but those who just underwent heart surgery.
But not any old fish fits the bill. The one that works best is Channa Striatus, more commonly known in Asia as ikan haruan.
“It has long been ‘known’, although without any actual evidence, that patients who eat ikan haruan after surgery tend to heal better and faster. To find out why, we conducted a scientific study on wound healing after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery,” said Dr Ahmad who is from Monash Malaysia’s Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The study, which included a randomised controlled trial, looked at whether patients who were given haruan fish extract in capsule form healed better and faster, than those who received a placebo. The results were stunning.
“It turns out that grandma was right. Haruan extract accelerated the speed with which wounds healed significantly. What’s more, the extract has a marked anti-nociceptive effect. Which means, it helps to block out pain, so the patient is more comfortable and less stressed, so they recover faster,” said Dr Ahmad.
All about the humble haruan Haruan, also known as the snakehead fish, is a freshwater carnivore and eats other smaller fishes and sometimes even frogs.
As it is a freshwater fish, you can find it in lakes and small rivers, streams or creeks.
It can also be farmed, although that isn’t as popular in Malaysia as farming say, keli or tilapia.
But that could change after Monash Malaysia’s study, if-andwhen haruan extract is commercialised for nutraceutical applications. How haruan extract works
Haruan extract has several properties that help wounds to heal. The fish contains all the essential amino acids needed, which is glycine.
It also has high levels of arachidonic acid and polyunsaturated fatty acids to create an anti-inflammatory effect and promote synthesis of prostaglandins, which are critical in helping the body to deal with tissue damage or infection.
It also promotes collagen remodelling via synthesis of inter- and intra-molecular protein cross-linking. This produces a marked increase in the tensile strength that accentuates wound healing.
“Haruan extract may have applications beyond surgical use. In fact, theoretically, it could help any skin wound to heal,” said Dr Ahmad.
You are what you eat
Another old saying that “You are what you eat” comes to mind. The haruan may not necessarily make you any smarter, but it can certainly be tasty.
According to Dr Ahmad, the best way to cook and get the best nutritional effect from it is to prepare the fish as a hot soup or as a porridge-style dish. It is occasionally fried, but the soup form is the most common.
However, its nutraceutical potential looks likely to outweigh any culinary charms.
“While faster recovery from surgical procedures is good for patients, the extract also offers other advantages in terms of resources and overall economic benefits,” said Dr Ahmad, who looks forward to the successful commercialisation of haruan as a medical product.
“The reduction in the percentage of wound infections also results in reduced hospital costs,” he concluded.
■ For details on programmes available at the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, visit www.monash.edu. my/medicine