DHA is for Lowering Triglycerides Naturally: Source-Omega Praises EFSA Judgment

Chapel Hill, NC, November 27, 2010 --(PR.com)-- An interview this week with Baldur Hjaltason, chairman of leading marine-sourced omega-3 group the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED), and strategic business development manager at EPAX, and Adam Ismail, GOED executive director. On November 23, 2010, when asked by Nutraingredients reporter Shane Starling about the 2.0 g DHA claim for triglycerides management, Baldur Hjaltason said, ”The omega-3 industry has been driven by solid science. That is the reason we are seeing so many approved claims, because we have such a great amount of scientific data to support those claims.”

The long-chain omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6 n-3) comprises over 80 percent of the omega-3 composition in the human body. This fact has not escaped non-fish-based advocates of algae oil DHA treatments for high triglycerides. The literature shows over 16 studies of algae oil DHA supplements providing significant improvements in hypertrygliceridemia (HTG), commonly known as high triglyceride levels above 200 mg/dl triglycerides in plasma in a fasting state.

Since high triglycerides are commonly found in type 2 diabetes subjects, Source-Omega recently conducted a study of the mechanisms and evidence for how DHA might protect against diabetic etiologies affected by high triglycerides. “We observed that DHA-rich microalgae oil is more effective than fish oil mixtures low in DHA at lowering high postprandial triglyceride levels,” said Scott Doughman, Ph.D., Chief Scientist at Source-Omega.

Source-Omega has also been looking at the need in Asian Indian urban populations particularly at risk for HTG and diabetes onset due to factors such as urbanization, dietary changes and genetic factors inherent to the traditionally non-fish-eating population.

Source-Omega's Report Findings:

1) Clinical studies in the United States and elsewhere show DHA from microalgae oil targets HTG.

2) At 3 months, the HTG reductions with DHA are temporally correlated with omega-3 essentiality, or saturation levels of omega-3s in red blood cell (RBC) membranes, also called the omega-3 index.

3) DHA reduces triglyceride levels over 25 percent when taken at levels greater than 1000 mg daily for 3 months, doubling total omega-3 levels.

4) 1200 mg DHA per day gives about 1000 mg bioavailable DHA.

5) DHA is the major omega-3 present in neuroendocrine beta-cell membranes and in immunological cells.

6) While microalgae oil DHA studies have not been performed using insulin producing cells, fish oil studies clearly show DHA is the only accretive omega-3 in pancreatic beta-cell membranes.

7) While DHA does not affect glucose homeostasis in diabetic subjects, increases in DHA levels over time correlated with improvements in insulin secretion and insulin function, suggesting beta-cell dependent and independent mechanisms.

8) The utility of 1200 mg DHA as an optimized dosage for the reduction of moderately high HTG and a low plasma omega-3 index for optimizing health status was supported by several independent studies as a near-maximal metabolic dose for greatest results per dose.

About Source-Omega, LLC: Located in Chapel Hill North Carolina, founded in 2007, Source-Omega developed the Pure One™ Formula out of the published academic work and innovations of Scott Doughman, Ph.D., Lipid Biochemist and a former National Institutes of Health funded omega-3 researcher, previously also an American Heart Association fellow with over 12 years of lipid research experience. Since 2007, the company has rapidly grown with a focus on high triglycerides and their Omega-3 DHA Therapy™ for results oriented omega-3 dosages. The product stability, ecological sustainability, vegan and Kosher registrations and research behind Pure One™, each lend qualifications that provide value added advantages. The Pure One™ Brand and Formula are available for licensing from Source-Omega.

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