Omega 3 Fatty Acid News and Research

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Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid (EFA), consisting of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). Oily fish, including anchovies, sardines, mackerel, and salmon, are the only known natural sources of Omega-3 EPA/DHA. ALA is found in plants, such as flax and chia. It is important to note that only EPA and DHA contribute to the many health benefits associated with Omega-3. While the body can convert ALA into EPA/DHA, it does so very inefficiently (less than one percent), making it impossible to derive Omega-3-related health benefits from plant sources. Furthermore, although Omega-3 EPA/DHA is vital to overall good health, the human body is not able to produce it on its own, so supplementation is required, either by eating oily fish or foods fortified with Omega-3 EPA/DHA, or by taking fish oil supplements.

Omthera initiates ECLIPSE study for treatment of high triglycerides

Omthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held emerging specialty pharmaceuticals company, today announced the initiation of a randomized, open-label, four-way cross-over pharmacokinetics study to evaluate the bioavailability of Epanova, Omthera's lead compound for the treatment of very high triglycerides, in comparison to Lovaza, the leading prescription Omega-3.

9 Nov 2010

Study finds DHA supplementation does not reduce risk of AD

Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) who received supplementation with the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), believed to possibly reduce the risk of AD, did not experience a reduction in the rate of cognitive and functional decline, compared to patients who received placebo, according to a study in the November 3 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on aging.

3 Nov 2010

Fish oil not as good for pregnant mums as thought: Study

According to a new Australian study, taking fish oil / docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplements during pregnancy does not appear to reduce the risk of postpartum depression of mothers or boost the language development and cognitive skills of their children.

19 Oct 2010

Arcadia Biosciences receives Canadian marketing clearance for SONOVA 400 health product

Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural technology company focused on developing technologies and products that benefit the environment and human health, today announced that Health Canada has granted the company clearance to sell SONOVA 400 in Canada. With the December 2009 completion of the New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) regulatory process in the United States, Arcadia is now able to make the health-maintaining oil available throughout the US and Canada.

19 Oct 2010

Essentialis receives patent for active component in DCCR product

Essentialis, Inc. announced today that the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent No. 7,799,777 entitled Salts of potassium ATP channel openers and uses thereof. The patent claims a novel composition of a polymorph of diazoxide choline, the active ingredient in the Essentialis lead product, DCCR. Essentialis has successfully completed phase 2b clinical trials with DCCR, showing a highly significant triglyceride reduction in dyslipidemic patients.

12 Oct 2010

Fish oil induces severe colitis and colon cancer in mice

Fish oil - long encouraged by doctors as a supplement to support heart and joint health, among other benefits - induced severe colitis and colon cancer in mice in research led by Michigan State University and published this month in the journal Cancer Research.

6 Oct 2010

Walnuts and walnut oil reduce blood pressure during stress: Study

A diet rich in walnuts and walnut oil may prepare the body to deal better with stress, according to a team of Penn State researchers who looked at how these foods, which contain polyunsaturated fats, influence blood pressure at rest and under stress.

4 Oct 2010

Researchers awarded funds to assess effects of omega-3 fatty acids on breast cancer development

Two researchers at Marshall University have been awarded federal funds totaling more than $1 million to assess the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on breast cancer development.

18 Sep 2010

Researchers discover low levels of DHA associated with chronic neurodegenerative disease

UC Irvine researchers have discovered that markedly depleted amounts of an omega-3 fatty acid in brain tissue samples from Alzheimer's patients may be due to the liver's inability to produce the complex fat, also contained in fish-oil supplements.Low levels of docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, have been associated with the chronic neurodegenerative disease affecting millions of Americans, but no cause had been identified.

9 Sep 2010

Discovery of omega-3 fatty acid molecular mechanism paves way for development of dietary remedy for diabetes

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the molecular mechanism that makes omega-3 fatty acids so effective in reducing chronic inflammation and insulin resistance.

3 Sep 2010

Atrium awarded 3-year national contract from Premier for surgical mesh products

Atrium Medical Corporation, pioneering advancements in biological, mechanical and therapeutic solutions for soft tissue reinforcement, is proud to announce that the company was awarded a three-year national contract from Premier Purchasing Partners L.P., the group purchasing organization of Premier, Inc. (Charlotte, NC).

10 Aug 2010

Studies support association of physical activity, diet with maintaining cognitive ability, reducing dementia risk

Evidence from three long-term, large-scale studies supports the association of physical activity and certain dietary elements (tea, vitamin D) with possibly maintaining cognitive ability and reducing dementia risk in older adults, according to new research presented today at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2010 in Honolulu, HI.

12 Jul 2010

Spherix to explore triglycerides for D-tagatose therapy

Spherix Incorporated, an innovator in biotechnology for diabetes therapy, and a provider of technical and regulatory consulting services to food, supplement, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, today announced that it will explore triglycerides as a potential therapeutic opportunity for its D-tagatose therapy, pending a review of data from a Phase 3 clinical trial the Company is conducting on the use of D-tagatose as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes.

24 Jun 2010

Vemma donates over $315,000 as nutritional supplements for children in Haiti and Tennessee

Vemma Nutrition Company has donated in excess of $315,000 of its premium children's supplement, Vemma NEXT™ to Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.) as a first step in an ongoing donation partnership with the New York City-based nonprofit. This first donation has been earmarked primarily to assist with long-term relief efforts in Haiti spearheaded by K.I.D.S. and Operation Compassion, giving Haitian children access to the vital nutrients they are so desperately missing in their sparse diets.

29 May 2010

Lithium reduces brain inflammation by adjusting metabolism of DHA: Researchers

Though it has been prescribed for over 50 years to treat bipolar disorder, there are still many questions regarding exactly how lithium works. However, in a study appearing in this month's Journal of Lipid Research, researchers have provided solid evidence that lithium reduces brain inflammation by adjusting the metabolism of the health-protective omega-3-fatty acid called DHA.

24 May 2010

Individual's lifestyle choices can affect cholesterol, triglycerides levels: Mayo Clinic Health Letter

Diet and lifestyle choices aren't only evident on the bathroom scale. The effect of these choices is also reflected with relative accuracy in cholesterol numbers.

13 May 2010

Most breastfeeding mothers do not follow proper diet, study reveals

The study conducted at the University of Granada revealed that 94% of nursing mothers did not follow a proper diet, as they did not consume the recommended diary intake of fat, vitamins A, E and iron, and the intake of proteins was too high. The results obtained will serve to enhance breastfeeding mothers' diet and increase nutritional supply to the newborn.

12 May 2010

Study: Omega-3 fatty acids can help mitigate bone loss

NASA-sponsored studies have found that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may play a role in mitigating bone breakdown that occurs during spaceflight and in osteoporosis. Ongoing research for decades has looked for ways to stop bone density loss in astronauts.

11 May 2010

Scientists catch new mediators to develop novel treatments for diseases linked to inflammatory processes

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine went on a molecular fishing trip and netted a catch of new mediators that not only can explain how omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation, but also hint at novel treatments for a host of diseases linked to inflammatory processes. Their findings were published today in the online version of Nature Chemical Biology.

6 May 2010

Study: Flaxseed diet reduces ovarian cancer, increases survival rates

In the race to find answers about ovarian cancer, researchers now have something to cluck about. For five years, University of Illinois researchers have been using the chicken as a model to study this deadly disease and have recently discovered that a diet enriched with flaxseed decreases severity of ovarian cancer and increases survival in hens.

5 May 2010