Your monthly digest of news and views from the omega-3 industry

Issue 03 May 2012

Optimal -3
Omega-3s can help halt the long goodbye
More evidence that diet may play a role in (memory) decline
Alzheimers disease, the most common form of dementia, is known as the long goodbye, because it can take years to run its heartbreaking course. As amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles attack and gradually shut down the neurons in the brain, the cerebral cortex atrophies while the sufferer endures language trouble, memory loss, the failure of bodily functions and, eventually, death. We demonstrate here that there is an association between what we eat and levels of amyloid in our blood, study author Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas tells Medscape Medical News. The amount of omega-3 that we consume may relate to levels of amyloid in our system, an argument suggesting a possible direct relation with Alzheimers type of pathology. According to the research, which was published online earlier this month in the journal Neurology, ingesting 1,000 more milligrams of omega3s per day than the average consumption level translated to about 20 to 30 per cent lower levels of beta-amyloid. It was a continuous association. More and more intake of omega-3s was associated with lower and lower levels of beta-amyloid in the blood. There was no threshold effect, notes Dr. Scarmeas, a neurologist at New Yorks Columbia University Medical Center and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. The Columbia research team studied the diet of 1,129 people aged over 65 for more than a year, and then tested their blood for beta-amyloid. This adds to the evidence that diet may play a role in (memory) decline, Dr. Scarmeas tells WebMD. We know that omega-3 helps protect against heart disease. Now there is emerging evidence that it may protect the brain as well as the heart. While its not easy to measure the level of beta-amyloid deposits in the brain in this type of study, he adds, it is relatively easy to measure the levels of beta-amyloid in the blood, which, to a certain degree, relates to the level in the brain. Some of these (test subjects) have already been followed up on. We know those with lower levels of beta-amyloid in the blood were less likely to develop dementia. Dr. Scarmeas and colleagues study seemingly supports previous research into omega-3s
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In this issue...
Body of Evidence Making Waves Product Profile: Diet Enhance Pet Care Corner Skin Deep

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However, a new study from Columbia University hails omega-3 fatty acids as a potentially valuable weapon in the fight against this presently incurable disease. The study found that those with a diet rich in omega-3s had a significantly lower level of a destructive and toxic protein called beta-amyloid in the blood. Beta-amyloid is closely linked with Alzheimers and memory problems.

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Body of Evidence
EYES
Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids can help you keep your focus, so to speak, for a longer portion of the game. A diet rich in omega-3s, along with other elements such as Vitamins C and E, zinc, and the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, is important to the health of the aging eye, according to a roundtable of experts brought together by the Ocular Nutrition Society. The experts, who hail from the fields of ophthalmology and optometry, among others, advocate nutritional and lifestyle guidelines to help people make better choices in protecting the health of their eyes as they grow older. The roundtable, led by ONS president Jeffrey Anshel, believes the displacement of nutrient-dense foods by processed foods in the Western, or American, diet is disconcerting, as is the lack of awareness of key nutrients and other modifiable risk factors that impact eye health. United Kingdom researchers report that daily omega-3 supplements have been linked with increased cerebral blood flow while research subjects were engaged in cognitive tasks. The study, by Dr. David Kennedy of the Brain, Performance, and Nutrition Research Center at Englands Northumbria University, involved healthy adults supplementing their diet with 1,000 to 2,000 mg of fish oil containing DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) on a daily basis. These results lend support to an emerging body of evidence which suggests that dietary DHA is influencing brain function in physiological terms, writes Dr. Kennedy and his associates in the study, published in Biological Psychology. Meanwhile, a survey released during Depression Awareness Week late last month reports that 83 per cent of respondents would have liked more information on natural supplements that can help with symptoms of depression, while 53 per cent of those whod tried both the natural and pharmaceutical avenues

Optimal -3 presents the latest monthly roundup of medical news regarding the health benefits of omega-3s from head to toe.
said omega-3, fish oil, or EPA (eicasopentaenoic acid) supplements had a good to very good effect on their depression. Its well known that there can be a variety of side effects associated with pharmaceutical depression medicine, such as Prozac, and so I think it is greatly encouraging to see that more people are looking for natural alternatives to help them cope with their depression, says general practitioner Dr. Wendy Denning. Over recent years, I have certainly noticed more people in my clinic with mental health problems such as depression. To my patients, I recommend a good high-EPA omega-3 supplement alongside their other medicines. team from the University of South Australia and the School of Dentistry at the University of Adelaide says scientifically significant results were achieved in the studies that used a combination of omega-3s and Aspirin.

BLOOD VESSELS
A new study presented at last months World Congress of Cardiology says omega-3s may be able to repair the physical harm caused by smoking. The University of Athens Medical School team, led by Dr. Gerasimos Siasos, treated subjects with 2,000 mg a day of supplements for four weeks and found that short-term supplementation improved arterial stiffness, and reduced acute smoking-induced damage of the elastic properties of smokers blood vessels. These findings suggest that omega-3 fatty acids inhibit the detrimental effects of smoking on arterial function, says Dr. Siasos, which is an independent prognostic marker of cardiovascular risk. Of course, the best way to battle the harmful effects of smoking? Stop smoking!
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GUMS
Researchers in Australia say theres a growing body of evidence to suggest that omega3s are an effective treatment for periodontitis the inflammation of the tissue surrounding the teeth, otherwise known as gum disease. After reviewing evidence from eight unique studies involving human patients, the research

BRAIN
Call it a beneficial rush of blood to the head.

Product Profile
of our food chain, and other foods such as fish obtain their omega-3 content from algae. Because Diet Enhance is organic, you go directly to the original source of that omega-3. Diet Enhance also provides human-active Vitamin B-12 without the need for eating seafood, a boon for vegans. Thanks to its satiating properties, Diet Enhance could be an excellent addition to a low-calorie diet program. By satisfying hunger with good nutrition rather than quantity, a dieter can reduce unnecessary calories without compromising needed nutrition. In addition, Diet Enhance can increase energy and endurance. A daily serving (1.5 teaspoons) of Diet Enhance provides three times the protein of beef per unit-weight, more phytonutrients than four to five servings of fruits or vegetables, and more antioxidant power than both Vitamins A and E per unit-weight. Diet Enhance is also unsurpassed for its digestability and absorption qualities. A dark-colored powder, Diet Enhance can be mixed into or sprinkled onto a wide variety of beverages and foods. Diet Enhance may in some cases impart its mild flavor and/or color, depending on the amount used and the nature of the food or beverage in question. Sprinkle a little Diet Enhance into your favorite juice, add it to your morning protein shake or smoothie, or mix it into salsa, dips, and hummus. Diet Enhance is ideal for many soup and bean recipes, and also blends well with Mexican, Italian, and Asian dishes. Use your imagination!

Body of Evidence
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KIDNEYS
A London research team says omega-3 fatty acids appear to be helping kidney patients undergoing hemodialysis. Scientists at Lawson Health Research Institute followed patients undergoing hemodialysis using new arteriovenous grafts that is, artificial vessels that join an artery to a vein for 12 months. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, says patients who took fish oil had a lower rate of graft failure with about half as many lost to clotting. This study provides very exciting results, says Dr. Louise Moist, who led the study. Fish oil did not fix all the problems with grafts, but it reduced the number of costly, time-consuming procedures for patients already receiving a very burdensome treatment with dialysis. Patients taking fish oil, as opposed to placebo capsules, also had lower blood pressure, and lower rates of heart attacks, heart failure, and other cardiac-related events, according to Dr. Moist.

COLON/RECTUM
A fish-heavy diet may result in a lower risk of colon and rectal cancer, according to researchers who conducted an analysis of 41 worldwide studies. Jie Liang, from the Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases in Xian, China, and his research team used results from studies published between 1990 and 2011, from the United States, Norway, Japan, Finland and numerous other countries measuring fish consumption and tracking cancer diagnoses. The researchers found that regularly eating fish was tied to a 12 per cent lower risk of developing or dying from colon or rectal cancer. Those who ate the highest amounts of fish had a 21 per cent lower risk of getting rectal cancer than those who ate the least. The analysis did not examine the omega-3 fatty acid angle. Our findings from this meta-analysis suggest that fish consumption is inversely associated with colorectal cancer, according to Liang and associates, in the report that appeared in the American Journal of Medicine.

Busy lives sometimes make good dietary choices extremely difficult. Diet Enhance, from Ever Young Natural Foods ([Link]. com), is designed to supplement the average healthy diet by improving the overall nutrition of the foods youre already eating. This low-calorie, super-food supplement can help to ensure that youre getting nutrition that supports good health. Diet Enhance is a unique blend of pure, organic algae, containing no artificially synthesized phytochemicals whatsoever. Spirulina, just one of the three algae in Diet Enhance, is considered singly to be one of the most nutritious foods known. It contains components called mucopolysaccharides that lower the fats in blood. These healthy compounds prevent lipoproteins including cholesterol from attaching to artery walls. Diet Enhance also contains astaxanthin and beta-carotene, a Vitamin A precursor. The availability of immune-boosting antioxidants from these important components is key to spirulinas status as a super-food. The other two algal species in Diet Enhance provide a synergistic powerhouse for high nutrition. Algae live at the bottom

Making Waves
What science still doesnt know about omega-3 fatty acids could fill a book. A set of encyclopedias, in fact. And thats why Australias Bob Gibson, more than three decades later, still has a spring in his step. Gibson, Professor of Functional Food Science and Director of the FOODplus Research Centre at the University of Adelaide, has changed the way the world thinks when it comes to omega-3s benefits to babies. Later this month, as the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) holds its 10th Congress at Vancouver, Canada, Gibson will be duly rewarded as the first Australian to receive the Alexander Leaf Distinguished Scientist Award, an international distinction that honours outstanding lifetime achievement in the study of fatty acids and lipids. And yet, its the unknown that truly excites Gibson. Although Ive been working in this field for more than 30 years, Im constantly astounded by the discoveries were making. Just when you think youve found everything there is to find, we realize there is more and more that science can uncover, he says. Were discovering things now about omega-3 that we suspected but never had evidence for and its every bit as exciting to be working in this field today as it was 30 years ago. During the early 1980s, Gibson wrote a seminal paper on the fattyacid composition of human breast milk. That triggered research around the world regarding both breast milk and formula, and their relative roles in babies health. Gibson and his colleagues were the first members of the scientific community to show that babies receiving omega-3-rich breast milk demonstrated improved brain development in comparison to babies raised on formula, which at the time did not contain the long-chain essential fatty acids EPA (eicasopentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). As a result of this work as well as further research offering incontrovertible evidence of dietary DHAs benefit in optimal infant health omega-3s are now de rigueur in commercial infant formulas. Gibson and colleagues continue to demonstrate the importance of omega-3s, particularly DHA, in mother-and-child health including allergy and asthma, childrens insulin sensitivity, and body fat mass. Earlier this year, they unveiled another landmark study on the effect of omega-3s on allergies during infants first year of life. According to the study, 1,000 milligrams of omega-3s per day can help babies ward off some allergies, including sensitivity to eggs. Our work is aimed at improving childrens health on a massive scale, notes Gibson. Were demonstrating that omega-3 long chain fatty acids can have clinical benefits equal to some pharmaceuticals, offering new hope for many clinical conditions.

Pet Care Corner

Optimal -3 offers a monthly digest of omega-3 news from the veterinary and pet-health industries. n Bionexus, of Ithaca, N.Y., has introduced DogsBestFriend, an all-natural skincare lotion for dogs that acts as a breakthrough replacement for remedies such as hydrocortisone, antihistamines, and topical antibiotics. With an anti-inflammatory combination of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, among other ingredients, DogsBestFriend is powerful enough to fight dermal inflammation, itching, pain, and bacterial and fungal infections, but safe enough for pooches of all ages, according to the company. The launch of the product follows seven years of laboratory studies, and four months of test marketing. Our early clinical testing suggested hot-spot remission could be seen in as little as one day, says Bionexus CEO Dr. Linda M. Pacioretty. While this result seemed too good to be expected commercially, our test market customers also noticed the surprisingly rapid relief offered by DogsBestFriend was unlike any product they had previously used. n With springtime pet shedding season upon us, Ellen Vossekuil an animal-care blogger for Yahoo! and a zookeeper in Utah reminds us that fatty acids in the diet are vital to a dogs healthy coat and skin in two ways. The oily-ness associated with hair is called sebum. Its a substance produced by the sebaceous gland in every hair follicle. Sebum helps coat the skin and keep it hydrated, reducing drying and flaking. The more omega-3 in the sebum, the more shiny and soft your dogs coat will be, she writes. Omega-3 has (also) been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. Often, inflammation can cause your dogs skin to become dry and irritated, leading to scratching and sores. Omega-3 can help reduce reclamation and heal dermatitis. n According to a recent post on The Daily Vet blog, on the [Link] website, omega-3 supplements may also help to promote pet weight loss, in addition to reducing inflammation. While not all omega-3 sources are created equally, a 2004 study reported in the Journal of Internal Veterinary Medicine found that a group of beagles on calorie-restricted diets lost more weight if the diet included omega-3s. Omega-3 fatty acids are clearly an excellent adjunct to a weight-loss program, but as I have emphasized previously, it is not a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) project, writes one of the blogs authors, Dr. Ken Tudor. Consult your veterinarian before starting any new diet program.

The long goodbye

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Skin Deep
Optimal -3 presents this months roundup of omega-3 news, advances, and shout-outs from the cosmetics industry. n France-based lipids provider Polaris is investing in a new production facility in the Brittany region as it attempts to go global with its cosmetics and food-supplement portfolio. The new Polaris plant will feature the latest technology in the short-path distillation process, offering customized production in the area of cosmetic products, such as nutricosmetics, and food supplements. This new investment represents a very significant step that should allow us to expand our presence to a global scale, says Polaris managing director Stephane Lozachemeur. n Here are a few dietary tips that will help the ol skin-care regimen . . . The editors of EatingWell Magazine remind us that an omega-3-rich diet may help in keeping your skin looking youthful, and preventing skin cancer. EPA (eicasopentaenoic acid) has been shown to preserve collagen, a fibrous protein that keeps skin firm. Meanwhile, EPA in tandem with DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) helps to prevent skin cancer by reducing the inflammatory compounds that may lead to tumour growth, according to Houstons Baylor College of Medicine. Meanwhile, with summer on the way in North America and Europe, registered holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy is also giving omega-3s a nod to improve skin elasticity and improve hair health. n And finally, here are a few omega-3-based products of note being introduced in the skincare and personal-care industries . . . Arbonne Internationals new line of antiaging products includes Arbonne Essentials Omega-3 Plus, a vegan supplement with no animal derivatives that is made using vegetarian DHA from algae. During the recent New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists (NYSCC) Suppliers Day, Canadas Botaneco introduced Vegelatum Omega-3, a natural proprietary vegetable gel with flaxseed oil, as a skin-care ingredient for the cosmetics industry.

that suggests the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have positive benefits in the area of cognitive development, memory, and brain aging. Research previously carried out by Dr. Scarmeas and associates suggested a link between the omega-3-rich Mediterranean diet high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fatty fish, but low in red meat, processed meats, butter, and high-fat dairy products and protection against Alzheimers. Previous studies have suggested that omega-3s and other aspects of diet may be related to brain function, he remarks. While there is not enough evidence to suggest a direct relationship between omega-3s and beta-amyloid, Scarmeas speculates that omega-3s may help to reduce oxidative stress on the brain and the vascular damage that follows. The studys results proved the same after adjustments were made for age, gender, ethnicity, education, the amount of calories regularly consumed, and genetic predisposition. Its predicted that Alzheimers will affect one in 85 people globally by the year 2050. The Columbia University study was supported by the National Institute on Aging.

DSM acquires Ocean Nutrition Canada

Royal DSM wanted to gain a stronghold in the North American dietary supplement market. Ocean Nutrition Canada wanted to take its fish-sourced omega-3 business to a global stage. And the result is the extremely significant May 18 transaction that saw DSM, a global leader in sustainable dietary supplements headquartered in the Netherlands, acquire Halifax-based ONC for $540 million. After our successful acquisition of Martek . . . the acquisition of Ocean Nutrition Canada is the logical next step in developing our nutritional lipids into a major growth platform, DSMs CEO Feike Sijbesma said in a statement. DSM board member Stephan Tanda told [Link]: We chose ONC because they are the biggest fish-sourced, omega-3 oil supplier in the world. DSM bought Maryland-based Martek Biosciences, a major producer of algaesourced DHA omega-3, in December 2010 for $1.09 billion. ONC, created in 1997, has 415 employees at production sites in Canada, the United States, and Peru. It has become a leader in providing fish-based omega-3s both EPA and DHA to dietary supplement manufacturers, but ONC execs expect that DSMs global infrastructure will give the Canadian outfit access to dietary supplement markets outside North America, and food and beverage markets worldwide. This acquisition by DSM, a leading international business with much greater scale and reach, is the logical next step in our evolution, said ONC president and CEO Martin Jamieson in a statement. Were a fast-growth company, and the power of their infrastructure with our leadership position in omega-3s that combination is very significant. This marks DSMs fifth acquisition since September 2010, when it changed its primary focus from chemicals to life sciences. The acquisitions form an integral part of DSMs strategy for its nutrition cluster, and will contribute to ongoing growth in DSMs health and nutrition portfolio, the Dutch company said in its release.

Your monthly digest of news and views from the omega-3 industry
Issue 03 May 2012

Optimal -3