The Super green List: Connecting Human and Ocean Health

According to seafoodwatch.org, seafood plays an important role in a balanced diet. It’s often rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help boost immunity and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and other ailments. Omega-3s are especially important for pregnant and nursing women, and young children. Unfortunately, some fish carry toxins that can become harmful when eaten frequently.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is releasing a “super green” list that ranks fish by sustainability and levels of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Species that make the list include farmed mussels and oysters, line- or pole-caught albacore tuna, wild-caught Alaskan salmon and Pacific sardines.
Combining the work of conservation and public health organizations, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has identified seafood that is “Super Green,” meaning that it is good for human health and does not harm the oceans. The Super Green list highlights products that are currently on the Seafood Watch “Best Choices” (green) list, are low in environmental contaminants and are good sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Read more…

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Omega-3: recommended dosage for prevention and treatment of heart disease

According to state-of-the-art review article published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, omega-3s have shown great promise in both preventing and treating heart disease. Researchers with the Ochsner Medical Center (New Orleans, Louisiana) and the University of Maryland School of Medicine (Baltimore, Maryland) conducted a review of studies on the effects omega-3 fatty acids had on cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Following evaluation of evidence from retrospective epidemiologic studies and from large randomised controlled trials, the reviewers recommended that the target eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) plus docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) consumption should be at least 500 mg /day for individuals without underlying overt CVD and at least 800 to 1,000 mg/day for individuals with known coronary heart disease and heart failure.
The most compelling evidence for cardiovascular benefits of omega-3s comes from 4 controlled trials of nearly 40,000 participants randomized to receive EPA with or without DHA in studies of patients in primary prevention, after myocardial infarction, and most recently, with heart failure.

The lead author of the review, Carl Lavie, medical director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, said that “there is now tremendous and compelling evidence from very large studies, some dating back 20 and 30 years, that demonstrate the protective benefits of omega-3 fish oil in multiple aspects of preventive cardiology,”

Reference: Journal of American College of Cardiology, volume 54, pp 585-594, 2009.

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Fish oil plus red yeast rice compared to statins in cholesterol lowering

Natural supplements health news: A combination of fish oils, red yeast rice coupled with lifestyle changes reduced cholesterol levels by the same amount as a daily statin pill, according to a randomized-trial research findings from the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

David Becker, MD, and coworkers at UPenn recruited 74 people with hypercholesterolaemia and randomly assigned them to receive a daily statin dose of simvastatin (40 mg/d) or the fish oil (EPA 2106 mg/d, DHA 1680 mg/d, N3 Oceanic) and red yeast rice (N3 Oceanic). The red yeast rice contained a total monacolin content of 5.3 mg, with 2.53 mg in the form of monacolin K (lovastatin). After 12 weeks of intervention, the researchers found statistically significant LDL reductions in both groups, but no difference between the groups. LDL-cholesterol levels were reduced by 42.4 per cent following consumption of the fish oil and red yeast rice combination, compared to reductions of 39.6 per cent in the statin group.

In addition to the LDL reduction, the fish oil/ red yeast rice combination also produced significant reductions in triglyceride levels of 29 per cent, compared to a non-significant nine per cent reduction in the statin group. The researchers attributed the triglyceride-lowering effects to the fish oil based on other reports pointing to similar effect.

Highlights about Red Yeast Rice (RYR):

• RYR is the product of yeast grown on rice; a dietary staple in some Asian countries.
• RYR reportedly contains several compounds that inhibit cholesterol production.
• Speculating on a mode of action of their findings, Becker and co-workers indicated that RYR contains naturally occurring lovastatin and nine different substances called monacolins that could inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase.
• The dose of RYR in the study (2.4-3.6 g/d) was equivalent to a daily lovastatin dose of 10 to 15 mg, less than the established therapeutic dose (20-40 mg).

“Lifestyle changes combined with ingestion of red yeast rice and fish oil reduced LDL-C in proportions similar to standard therapy with simvastatin,” the researchers conclude.

The full text is published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Reference: D.J. Becker, R.Y. Gordon, P.B. Morris, J. Yorko, Y.J. Gordon, M. Li, N. Iqbal, “Simvastatin vs Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes and Supplements: Randomized Primary Prevention Trial”; Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2008, Vol. 83 (7) Pages 758-764.

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How do walnuts and fish compare in protecting against heart disease?

Lifelong Supplements™ health news! High blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels are risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). It is well known that increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids decreases the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, the question consumers often ask is whether plant- and marine-derived omega-3 fats work similarly in prevention of CHD.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that including walnuts and fatty fish in a healthy diet lowered serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, respectively, which affects CHD risk favorably. These findings show that walnut (a rich source of plant-derived omega-3) and fatty fish (a rich source of marine-derived omega-3), although both types are cadio-protective, target different risk factors when consumed in amounts recommended for primary prevention of CHD.
Here is a brief description of the study. In a randomized crossover feeding trial, 25 normal to mildly hyperlipidemic adults consumed 3 isoenergetic diets (about 30% total fat and <10% saturated fat) for 4 weeks each: a control diet (no nuts or fish), a walnut diet (1.5 oz walnuts/day), or a fish diet (4 oz salmon, twice/week). Fasting blood was drawn at baseline and at the end of each diet period and analyzed for serum lipids. The results showed that the participants who followed the walnut diet had a 5.3% lower serum total cholesterol level and a 9.5% lower LDL (bad) cholesterol level when compared to the control diet. Those who followed the fish diet decreased their triglyceride levels by 10.7%, and increased their HDL (good) cholesterol by 3.4% compared to the control diet. The reference for the study is: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 89, pages 1657S-1663S, 2009.
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Healthcare Savings through Supplements

Over the next five years, a strategic use of certain dietary supplements could improve the health of Americans and save over $24 billion in healthcare, according to a study commissioned by the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance (DSEA).
The report highlights the use of the supplement combination as calcium and vitamin D, lutein with zeaxanthin, and the individual supplementation of folic acid as well as omega-3. 

Give your health a boost with safe lifelong supplements™! Helpful health and wellness tips from: lifelonghp.com, blog.lifelong supplements and health bulletin.