XTEND-15sec-NEWSt
24th September 2004
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More good news about Omega 3s... n1
Fish oils can regulate heart beat. Two recent studies have added weight to the health credentials of fatty acids, suggesting that taking fish oil supplements and eating fatty fishes, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and cod, can reduce the risk of developing abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
Research has already suggested on several occasions that eating fatty fish and supplementing with fish oil can reduce the risk of having a heart-attack.
But according to studies published in Circulation (2004;110:368-73) and Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes, and Essential Fatty Acids (2004;71:153-9), evidence points to the possibility that these fats might also prevent dangerous abnormalities in heart rhythm.
To read the rest of this article published by NutraIngredients- USA. Please click here.
Warren Matthews comments: It seems that hardly a day goes past in which there is not another article or study published on the benefits of Omega 3's. It's important to remember that these studies relate to Omega 3's from fish oil, not from other sources such as flax seed oil which are high in ALA and rely upon the body to convert to DHA and EPA. This is important, particularly for men, as there is now evidence emerging in which ALA in flax oils appears to be detrimental for those men that have a prostate problem whereas the Omega 3's in fish oil are very beneficial.
Remember that we have the purest fish oil in the world! Click here.
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Medical journals press for clinical trial registry...n2
Eleven medical journals have announced that next year they will stop considering reports of clinical trials that have not been registered in a public trials registry before or at the time they begin to enroll patients. This policy will apply to any clinical trial starting enrollment after July 1, 2005. For trials that began enrollment before this date, the journals will require registration by September 13, 2005. The registration will include disclosure of the study's purpose, design, starting data, expected length, and sponsor. The participating journals include the Annals of Internal Medicine, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Croatian Medical Journal, Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of the Danish Medical Association, Lancet, Medical Journal of Australia, Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde, New England Journal of Medicine, New Zealand Medical Journal, and Norwegian Medical Journal.
The new policy is intended to prevent "selective reporting" and "publication bias" in which positive results are reported but negative ones are not. It will also prevent surreptitious changes in study design or data analysis after the data come in. The need for the policy was underscored by a recent study of 122 journal articles which concluded that about half of them were incompletely reported, harm was more likely to be unreported, and 65% had inconsistencies between primary outcomes defined in the most recent protocols and those defined in published articles. [Chan A-W and others. Empirical evidence for selective reporting of outcomes in randomized trials comparison of protocols to published articles. JAMA 291:2457-2465, 2004]
Warren Matthews comments: This is positive news. As I have mentioned before clinical trials can be misleading because the negative ones are often 'buried'. In order to get an approval for a new drug there may be more negative clinical trial results than positive. Because the negative ones are not published and approvals can be granted on the positive ones health professionals may prescribe these drugs totally unaware that they may not be as good as portrayed in the published clinical studies.
The FDA now requires all clinical trials to be registered but most Companies are still not complying and they get away with it because there are no real penalties for non compliance.
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Celebrity admits role in advertising fraud...n3
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has settled its case against Ian Turpie, a former host of the game show "The New Price is Right," whom the commission charged with falsely stating in ads that a nasal spray containing apomorphine had improved his sexual potency. Under the settlement, Turpie acknowledged that he had lied about suffering from erectile dysfunction and had never used the product. [ACCC resolves court action with Ian Turpie for alleged misleading claims. ACCC news release, Sept 1, 2004]
Warren Matthews comments: Sadly, this is a widespread problem... worldwide! I don't know if it is ego or the money that drives these people to lie about these things! Over the last few years I have heard of celebrities being paid big sums to endorse various supplements... so, maybe it is the money! It has been suggested to us that we should have a big name celebrity endorse our products but we have refused. This is because it would reduce the value for money to our customers due to increasing our costs. Fortunately, our customers tend to be more knowledgeable about health and general supplementation and can assess the merits of various products for themselves so we don't have to resort to this type of marketing.
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Important notice: All material provided within XTEND-15sec-NEWS is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken solely on the contents of this publication. Consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health and wellbeing or on any opinions expressed within this newsletter. The information provided in this newsletter is believed to be accurate based on the best judgment of the editor but the reader is responsible for consulting with their own health professional on any matters raised within.
Fish oils can regulate heart beat. (Full Article)f110/09/2004 - Two recent studies have added weight to the health credentials of fatty acids, suggesting that taking fish oil supplements and eating fatty fishes, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and cod, can reduce the risk of developing abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
Research has already suggested on several occasions that eating fatty fish and supplementing with fish oil can reduce the risk of having a heart-attack.
But according to studies published in Circulation (2004;110:368-73) and Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes, and Essential Fatty Acids (2004;71:153-9), evidence points to the possibility that these fats might also prevent dangerous abnormalities in heart rhythm.
In the first of the new studies, 65 people with arrhythmia were randomly assigned to receive either three grams of fish oil (providing one gram of omega-3 fatty acids) per day or placebo for six months. Blood tests were then performed and heart rhythms were assessed during the six-month trial and for six months after stopping the supplements.
Compared to the beginning of the study, people receiving fish oil had significantly fewer and less severe arrhythmias. People taking fish oil had 46.9 per cent, 67.8 per cent, 71.8 per cent, and 100 per cent fewer occurrences of the four types of arrhythmia monitored in the study, namely atrial premature complexes, ventricular premature complexes, couplets and triplets.
Six months after the patients stopped taking the fish oil, these improvements were reversed and all measurements were similar to those from the beginning of the study. People receiving placebo experienced no significant changes in arrhythmia frequency during the study.
The second study involved 4,815 people over the age of 65 years, who were monitored for a potentially serious type of arrhythmia known as atrial fibrillation. They were followed for 12 years through annual physical exams and electrocardiographs to assess heart rhythms, and through reviewing records from all hospital visits.
Frequent fish eaters were found to have a lower risk of developing atrial fibrillation than people who were not. Compared to those who ate fish less than once a month, patients who ate fish once to three times a month were 24 per cent less likely to suffer atrial fibrillation, patients who ate it one to four times per week were 30 per cent less likely to suffer, and eating fish five or more times a week reduced the risk by 35 per cent.
The researchers therefore concluded that in elderly people, eating fatty fish reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation, and in people with existing arrhythmias, supplementing with fish oil reduced the number and severity of episodes of arrhythmia.
This research is another boost for the health giving properties of fatty acids, which earlier this week were awarded a qualified health claim by the US Food and Drug Administration. This means that conventional foods in the US will now be able to display a qualified health claim - previously restricted to supplements - for omega-3 fatty acids.
The FDA said that foods containing eiscosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) omega-3 fatty acids can carry a claim stating that they may help to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).
"Coronary heart disease is a significant health problem that causes 500,000 deaths annually in the US," said Dr. Lester Crawford, acting FDA commissioner. "This health claim should help consumers to improve their health by identifying foods that contain these important compounds."
In 2000, the FDA announced a similar qualified health claim for dietary supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids.
The FDA recommends that consumers not exceed more than a total of 3 grams per day of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids, with no more than 2 grams per day from a dietary supplement.
Of all the functional food ingredients available, the future looks most promising for omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly in the US, according to recent research by consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan. The research commented that while the more mature European omega-3 PUFA market was likely to stabilise at an annual growth rate of eight percent, some key market participants in the US are experiencing growth rates of over 20 percent.
Kathy Brownlie, an industry analyst from Frost & Sullivan, explained omega-3 has such growth potential because of the health benefits it is regularly purported to bring.
"Increased media coverage and product availability have helped differentiate omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs from saturated fats, promoting omega-3 PUFAs as 'good fats', which are an essential part of the diet," she said. "Most industry experts agree that more omega-3 PUFAs need to be incorporated into our diets."
Scientific evidence is growing to substantiate the role of omega-3 PUFAs not only for protecting heart health but also prevention of cancer and other diseases.
The ingredient has moreover seen support from low-carb diets such as Atkins, which promotes omega-3 fatty acids as part of their eating plans.
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