Omega-3

Originally Published <a data-cke-saved-href="/sites/beta.nutritionaloutlook.com/files/articlelist.php?issueid=58" href="/sites/beta.nutritionaloutlook.com/files/articlelist.php?issueid=58" "="">NO March 2010

Consumers ranked omega-3 as their number-one supplement of choice-even over multivitamins-in ConsumerLab's 2010 vitamin survey. That's good news for the omega-3 industry.

Originally Published

Originally Published

Consumers are still buying supplements. This year, expect shoppers to continue focusing on immune health, gluten free, cognitive health, joint health, eye health, digestive health, and weight management. Below are a few ingredients the industry will be keeping its eye on.

Only three more years until the federal government's National Eye Institute (NIH; Bethesda, MD) releases the results of its landmark Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS2). The study-a multicenter, randomized, five-year trial involving 4000 participants-is expected to finish in December 2012.

In May, Datamonitor reported that growth of the nutricosmetics market may be slowing, perhaps due to the recession. Some consumers, the report said, may view beauty-from-within products as a luxury. While new beauty beverages continue to launch, other types of nutricosmetics may not fare as well, said Datamonitor, citing the failure of Danone's Essensis skin-nourishing yogurt as an example.

Natural Vitamin E Products May Be Synthetic

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA; Parma, Italy) has suggested new levels of recommended daily consumption of omega-3’s to the European Commission (EC; Brussels).

Let's face facts. Consumers have had a miserable time staying on top of nutrition trends. First, fats were the root of all diet evil, then carbs, then sugar, then artificial sweeteners, then dairy products, then some proteins, then bread, and on and on. Give consumers a lot of credit for not completely surrendering the fight to eat healthy.

Americans, like most people, like eating snacks. According to the International Food Information Council's 2008 Food & Health Survey, nearly all Americans, or 94% of survey participants, eat at least one snack per day.

XSTO Solutions (Morristown, NJ) and Brudy Technology (Barcelona, Spain) have jointly announced a new sales and marketing distribution agreement between the two companies to market Algatrium, Brudy’s patented source of DHA.

Consumers Not Responding to Probiotic Cheese

In a new report, "Omega Fatty Acids: Trends in the Worldwide Food and Beverage Markets, 2nd Edition," market research publisher Packaged Facts estimates that the omega fatty acid global market grew 36% between 2007 and 2008.

Consumers knows omega-3s are good for them, but that’s about all they know on the topic, says the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED; Salt Lake City).

Martek Biosciences Corp. (Columbia, MD) announced the launch of two new products containing \"life\'sDHA,\" a polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid found in the body. The company subsequently reached 100 products containg DHA, Martek announced on November 18. “A growing number of experts around the world are recognizing the importance of DHA for healthy brains, eyes and hearts. They are also recognizing that most people\'s diets do not include adequate amounts of DHA,\" said Steve Dubin, Martek\'s CEO.

SourceOne (Chicago) has partnered with Nutri Pharmaceuticals Research (Las Vegas) to develop powder forms of Source’s products with the hopes to broaden the company’s appeal in the nutritional market.

More than 80% of Americans are currently consuming or would consider consuming foods with added health and wellness benefits.

Ocean Nutrition Canada Limited (ONC; Nova Scotia, Canada) announced that Arnold Bread has launched Grains & More Double Omega, a new bread formulated to improve heart health.

Researchers supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD), will conduct a nationwide clinical trial to invesigate whether omega-3 fatty acids slow Alzeimer's disease.

In response to the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) notice of proposed rulemaking prohibiting nutrient content claims on products with EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids, the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED; Salt Lake City) has urged the FDA and/or the Institute of Medicine to review the clinical science on omega-3s and make an authoritative statement on a recommended intake for EPA and DHA.

Omega-3s May Protect Against Type 1 Diabetes Source: JM Norris et al., "Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Intake and Islet Autoimmunity in Children at Increased Risk for Type 1 Diabetes," Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 298, no. 12 (September 26, 2007): 1420–1428. Children who are at risk of developing type 1 diabetes may improve their odds if they eat a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Colorado (Denver).