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EFAs

EFAs Move on Swimmingly

by James Gormley | August 1, 2018

Health value and product improvements are driving the omega-3 and EFA category forward.

Participants:

• Corinna Bellizzi, SVP Sales & Education, NutriGold, Orem, UT, https://nutrigold.com

• Dan Lifton, COO, Quality of Life Labs, Purchase, NY, https://qualityoflife.net

• Jolie Root, LPN, LNC, Senior Nutritionist and Educator, Carlson Laboratories, Arlington Heights, IL, www.carlsonlabs.com

• Ellen Schutt, Executive Director, Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED), Salt Lake City, UT, www.goedomega3.com

With millions of American consumers walking into health food stores, you no longer have to defend fish oil. It seems like you just have to ask them: How many bottles would you like? Officially a mature category, don’t tell that to the innovative manufacturers who are differentiating products into dozens of delivery forms and hundreds of different standalone and value-added products.

Vitamin Retailer’s (VR) panel of industry experts clues us in to where the market is no, where it’s headed and what your customer is looking for.

VR: The Harvard Medical School published a blog post from their chief medical editor entitled “Fish Oil: Friend or Foe?” The basic gist is: Get your omegas from fish rather than marine oil supplements. If we lived in the world of our Paleolithic ancestors—a world untouched by industry, synthetic toxins, pollution and plastic particles—then sure, that would make sense. However, since our environment—oceans, etc.—is so compromised, what do you say to a headline like that?

Bellizzi: It simply isn’t realistic for people to get enough omega-3 consistently by relying on seafood. Often, “seafood” is farmed, and farmed fish isn’t as high in omega-3. Also, many consumers don’t enjoy fish as food and will choose a relatively neutral flavored fish, or fried fish as their fish source. They might choose tilapia, which is pond-farmed fish that is higher in omega-6 than omega-3, or cod, which stores very little fat in its meat and is often fried in omega-6 rich oil.

Given this trend, I answer this question with a question. How many consumers would consume deep-sea, fatty fish that was wild-caught and high in omega-3s two to three times a week? A high-quality omega-3 a fish oil supplement is a fantastic, affordable solution to ensure each person gets enough omega-3s into their daily diet.

Lifton: I don’t really agree with misleading headlines like that, because that takes consumers down the path to demonizing food groups or food types.

For example, in nature there are no bad fats—some are just much better than others. Same thing with meat—some types are healthier, depending on how animals were fed and raised. With fish, in nature there are no bad fish or bad fish oils. With fish, however, there are fish species and stocks that have become severely compromised by the environment, by how far up on the food chain they are, and by how they were raised (for example, fish farmed or wild caught).

So, while it may have been fine for our great-great-grandmothers to have given our ancestors cod liver oil, the purity of this traditional food today can be suspect, if you don’t know your manufacturer and their suppliers.

So it’s not a question of “Is fish oil our friend or enemy?” it’s a question of “what marine-source EFA supplements do you want to provide to your customers, and do you have full confidence in the purity, DHA levels and efficacy of those products?”

Root: While dietitians and doctors often like to say that we can get everything we need from a balanced diet, and that eating fish twice a week should be enough to derive the benefits of omega-3s, we know that this just isn’t happening.

We know this because the body of evidence involving measuring omega-3 levels using the Omega-3 Index blood test shows that the majority of people do not reach target intake levels. The majority of people still do not eat fish on a regular basis. Setting aside for a moment the reality of pollution, contaminants and plastics in the ocean, people are still not acting on the message “eat more fish.”

Supplements offer a way to get the marine omega-3s EPA and DHA even if fish is not your thing. Purification and distillation processes make it possible to deliver clean and fresh, not fishy tasting oils that provide meaningful doses of EPA and DHA.”

Schutt: The reality is that not enough people eat fish and 95 percent of the U.S. population does not consume enough EPA and DHA to be cardioprotective, so supplementation is extremely important.

VR: Pretty often, “essential fatty acids” or EFAs gets conflated with “fish oil.” Truth be told, there are many EFA sources, some marine and some terrestrial, for example: hemp, fish, flax, walnuts, almonds, olive oil … essential usually means can’t be made or naturally converted by the body without a food source. Can you clarify this?

Lifton: While it is true that “essential” means that we must get this nutrient or fatty acid from food or supplements, it is also true, although not always well communicated, that all seed oils have a spectrum of fatty acids.

For example, olive oil has 82 percent monounsaturated omega-9 fats, 10 percent saturated fat and 8 percent polyunsaturated omega-6 fats. Hemp has 20 percent omega-3, 12 percent omega-9 and 60 percent omega-6 fats, whereas flax has a whopping 58 percent omega-3 count, 19 percent omega-9 and only a 14 percent omega-6 level.

So, while the meaning of essential doesn’t change, the recognition of how difficult it is for the body to produce DHA from EPA has become increasingly clear. So has the recognition that American consumers need more DHA-rich supplements and pure sources of that.

Bellizzi: The specific omega-3 fatty acids that are the most bioactive in the body are EPA and DHA. They are considered conditionally essential, because our bodies should be able to make them from plant-sourced ALA, which is an essential fatty acid.

Though this is the case, many people’s digestive systems aren’t very good at making EPA and DHA from ALA, either because they lack enough active enzymes, lack certain required co-nutrients, or they are consuming other fats that keep those enzymes busy.

For this reason, consuming a direct source of EPA and DHA is always preferable.

Root: By definition, the qualifier “essential” in essential fatty acids means the body does not produce them on its own but needs to derive them from the foods we eat. But we have come to use the term to describe healthy fats in general.

Fish oil provides EPA and DHA, but also other omega-3s including some ALA and also DPA. Walnuts, olive oil, and the cooking oils provide less EPA and DHA and more ALA (the plant omega-3), and also omega-6 linoleic acid and omega-9, oleic acid, a healthy monounsaturated fat.

Experts often suggest eating less saturated fats from foods like meat cheese and butter, and more unsaturated fats from foods like fish, plants, such as leafy greens and tree nuts, like almonds macadamia nuts and walnuts.

VR: A recent study conducted by Future Market Insights (FMI) has revealed that the global market for essential fatty acids is set to witness a CAGR of 9.5 percent in terms of revenue over the forecast period (2017-2027). During this 10 years of the forecast, the dynamics of the market will be shaped by factors such as government policies and regulations, rising demand and improvement in supply chain management of essential fatty acids. It’s expected to reach $10 billion by 2027. What do you believe will help this growth or hinder it?

Bellizzi: Sadly, our current sensationalist media is in love with taking down popular nutritional supplements, from “Frontline” to “60 Minutes” to the New York Times. Even though this is the case, the research in support of omega-3s is so strong, and people feel such a difference consuming them, that I think they will continue to see significant growth.

Rising popularity of high concentrates and alternative sources will likely mean that the old standard low-potency fish oils continue to drop in market share. High-potency, high quality, triglyceride-form fish oils will continue to gain popularity as they become more mainstream.

I also predict that new, fringe, plant-based sources will continue to capture market share from more traditional omega-3 products. They will rise in popularity swiftly, so long as they are both sustainable and pleasant to consume.

Schutt: GOED’s estimate is that for 2015, the omega-3 dietary supplement market was 3,937 MM$. We estimate the annual growth for omega-3 dietary supplements to be 3 to 4 percent.

Factors that may help or hinder this growth include government regulation, increases in demand and changes in consumer preferences, variations in supply, and the results of ongoing scientific research.

Root: I think continued publication of favorable research will support growth, and developing sustainable alternatives to fish as sources of EPA and DHA will offer new subcategories of materials from which to source. Examples are Camelina sativa, an oilseed crop that provides EPA and DHA, and algal products. Those who do not consume animal products will be able to get the health benefits of EPA and DHA from these plant sources.

Lifton: Regardless of the numbers, if marketers and manufacturers can continue to meet consumers’ evolving demand for high-quality EFAs, and there is not some global marine crisis, then the market should continue to grow, as long as the products are backed by clinical studies, proven purity and proven efficacy.

VR: One of the new developments in EFAs is value-added formulations, in some cases for cardio or other applications. One of the latest is EFAs with added vitamin K. Can you talk to this latest trend? Is it a better mousetrap or just a twist on a maturing category?

Root: It is both. These combinations, fish oils and vitamin D, fish oils and vitamin K, fish oils and CoQ10, and fish oils in multivitamins are line extensions, yes, but they also offer a convenient way to include omega-3 with other nutrients that support the same benefits. They offer the consumer a way to be well nourished yet open fewer bottles. Lifton: Consumers do want more bang for their supplement buck, so if they have the choice between a single-nutrient product and one that provides some value-added, in terms of how it sourced, etc., that will continue to be important.

So if they can get a standard fish oil supplement or one that naturally also provides the antioxidant, astaxanthin or some other important nutrient, then many will choose the product with value-added benefits.

Bellizzi: It makes perfect sense to consume fat-soluble vitamins with omega-3 fish oil, and vitamin K is no exception. It has been demonstrated to improve bone health, and also help keep arteries more flexible, so it could be considered both a heart health and bone health nutrient. It does this by acting as a bit of a “traffic cop” residing in our soft tissues and telling calcium where to go (bones and teeth) and where not to go (soft tissues).

Weston Price even touted the benefits of fermented cod livers for the simple fact that they were a natural food source for vitamins A, D and K, three fats that were often deficient in the diets of poor people in developed countries.

Schutt: While I agree that EPA and DHA omega-3s is a maturing category in the U.S., the potential for growth is still high. Given the growing body of scientific evidence around these marine oils—and the fact as mentioned above that so few people consume enough—there is still a lot of room for growth.

On the subject of value-added combinations, this makes sense in examples like omega-3s and vitamin K where both ingredients offer a heart health benefit, but the science still needs to be done to quantify the additive effect.

VR: Talk about consumer confidence, in the past, unwanted effects were the norm, such as fish burp, etc. Has consumer confidence in EFAs grown or improved? If so, why? If not, why and what can the industry do?

Lifton: Consumer demand has increased, and technologies have improved, too. But technologies can’t fix a bad source of oils.

For example, if a manufacturer is deriving EPA/DHA from a raw fish source and, in the process, a majority of the lipids extracted are free triglycerides, there will still probably be a fish burp issue, regardless of whatever other processing, encapsulation or technologies are applied.

At the core, it all starts with what marine animal is being harvested, and where, and it goes from there to these other factors.

Schutt: GOED has done consumer research in 20-plus countries and fishy burp still emerges as a barrier to consumption, despite the fact that deodorization and processing technology has improved.

Contamination is much less of an issue for fish oils than it was years ago, but I do think there is still consumer confusion about forms, label claims and dosage.

This leads to an erosion of confidence in the category and GOED encourages our members, and the industry at large, to improve transparency and not engage in negative marketing.

Root: Fish oils have come firmly into the mainstream as doctors everywhere embrace the reality that boosting omega-3s is healthy and confers real measurable health benefits.

Fish burps are becoming a thing of the past as consumers are taught to take their fish oils during a meal, or keep their soft gels in their freezers to minimize the effect. Purifying the fish oils and using flavors have reduced the notorious fishy taste, so that the oils can be mixed into salad dressings or other dishes and served at mealtime.

Consumers are learning to look for proof of third-party testing and sustainable sourcing when they choose a product.

VR: Rancidity and contaminants have been a problem in the past. Can you tell retailers about the newest initiatives and the latest guidelines that the industry has adopted to give consumers and them greater confidence in EFAs in general, and omega-3s in particular?

Root: Many industry members are being more transparent about testing for freshness purity and potency. Showing the testing by using firms like Nutrasource Diagnostics who publish their IFOS (International Fish Oil Standards) and IGEN test results on their website. The IGEN is the International Genetically Modified Organism Evaluation and Notification, [and] is the only third-party testing and certification program that evaluates the presence or absence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in products, and the ingredients used to make them, using validated analytical methods.

Schutt: Contamination is no longer an issue in EPA and DHA omega-3s; even the most recent ConsumerLab.com analysis of fish oils did not report concerns about contaminants. On the oxidation topic, GOED has tested the top 50 products on the U.S. market and found very low oxidation levels.

VR: Can you give examples of some of the latest, most important published (not in-house) studies on EFAs, and why this research matters?

Root: A study was just published in the journal Aggressive Behavior that showed something remarkable. Giving omega-3s to children calmed their aggressive behavior, and also reduced psychological aggression in their adult caregivers, even though the adults did not take the supplements. Changing the behavior of the children actually changed the entire dynamic in the household.

Another study in young healthy individuals at the University of Melbourne showed that oral omega-3s raised docosanoid levels and reduced intraocular eye pressure which would protect against the development of glaucoma.

Finally, a NIH (National Institutes of Health) study published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology found that omega-3 levels as measured by the Omega-3 Index were the best predictor of mortality. When comparing participant omega-3 index levels, those with the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids slashed their risk of death from any cause by 34 percent. The participants with the highest omega-3 index also had a 39 percent lower risk of suffering a CVD (cardiovascular disease) event such as a heart attack or stroke. VR: As farm-raised fish loaded with PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), high in omega-6 fats and low in protein becomes “a thing,” what is the responsible core of the fish-oil industry doing or planning to turn this around?

Lifton: There is greater consumer awareness of not only mercury and PCB contamination, but also of omega-3 fats levels and protein levels in different marine creatures and where they are harvested. I’m all for industry standards, but at the end of the day it all starts with what is sourced and where. But a standard cannot remedy cheap, unsustainable harvesting of contaminated fish.

Schutt: There are both good and bad farms, just like any other industry. I agree that in recent years the omega-3 levels have come down in farmed fish as the feed options have changed, but fish farms are very aware of the importance of omega-3s, both for the health of the fish and the health of the population that eats it. I think this is an evolving situation.

Keep in mind, also, that wild fish is not available to all people, and eating farmed fish is still better than a Big Mac.

Root: IFOS (International Fish Oil Standard Program) and IGEN (The International GMO Evaluation and Notification Program) are important. Those programs offered by Nutrasouce Diagnostics offer third-party testing and certification evaluating contaminants, freshness and potency and also presence of GMOs using validated analytical methods. MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) and Friend of the Sea offer a way to be sure fisheries are managed sustainably.

Bellizzi: IFOS (www.nutrasource.ca/ifos) 5-star certification by Nutrasource Diagnostics out of Canada remains the most reliable third-party verifier. Consumers can simply visit their site to search by product or review lot-specific test results that verify a given product’s purity, freshness and potency. If the product doesn’t meet label claim, they will see it right there.

Another certification that consum-ers can rely on is the MSC [www.msc.org], which verifies the health and tonnage of fisheries around the globe. As they say, just “look for the blue fish.”

VR: What are the most important trends in the EFA category, and why?

Schutt: On the EPA and DHA front, we are still seeing consumers “trading up” to higher concentrate products that contain more EPA and DHA per pill. At the same time, there is interest in specialty products like virgin salmon oil, which is less processed, or new sources like herring roe, sturgeon caviar or calamari oil.

VR: Briefly, what is your most important proprietary EFA ingredient or finished product that retailers need to know about right now, and why?

Root: Building on our extensive line of high-potency, great-tasting liquid omega-3s, Carlson has introduced the first olive oil/fish oil combination, Olive Your Heart, which brings together two of the most important components of the Mediterranean Diet, fish omega-3s and extra virgin olive oil. Intended to offer a way to get your meaningful daily dose of omega-3 DHA and EPA and also extra virgin olive oil sourced from the Terra Creta Groves in Crete, Olive Your Heart is a delicious oil to use in salads, to dress pasta or in dishes like hummus.

Bellizzi: NutriGold’s Double Strength and Triple Strength Omega-3 Fish Oils are top sellers for all of our retailers for many reasons. They are IFOS 5-star certified and sourced exclusively from the USA. NutriGold’s fish oils therefore enjoy a substantially smaller carbon footprint than sardine or anchovy oils that are sourced from Peru, shipped around the globe to be processed, and then to the U.S. for distribution.

Plus, our fish oils are made exclusively of MSC certified Wild Alaska Pollock as a co-product, ensuring long-term sustainability and optimal freshness. They won’t burp-back and are in the highly bioavailable 70 percent plus re-esterified triglyceride (rTG) form.

Recently, we introduced 120 counts of these top-selling products (NutriGold’s Double Strength and Triple Strength Omega-3 Fish Oils) as a brick-and-mortar exclusive. This is part of NutriGold’s plan to protect retailer businesses from race-to-the-bottom pricing tactics of online resellers.

This, in combination with our aggressively enforced 25 percent iMAPP, has ensured retailers have an opportunity to own a product without worry of their consumer base finding it online, whether it is less expensive, or not. They really appreciate that exclusivity.

Lifton: Neptune Krill Oil has several advantages over regular fish oil, including significantly better bioavailability, stronger antioxidant activity and higher purity. Krill are tiny bright-pink crustaceans that live in the Antarctic Ocean.

Because they feed on omega-3-rich phytoplankton, krill oil is a concentrated source of these essential fatty acids (EPA/DHA). Krill oil contains EPA/DHA bonded to phospholipids—not triglycerides—giving it significantly greater bioavailability than fish oil.

Our Quality of Life Neptune Krill Oil is a very high quality marine oil product, one that also provides consumers with the added benefits of naturally occurring astaxanthin, a cousin of beta-carotene that offers its own range of antioxidant effects.

VR: Any other thoughts on the EFA category for retailers?

Bellizzi: I like to remind retailers that every customer that walks in their door can benefit from taking omega-3s. First, make sure the brands you offer have strong iMAPP policies in place to protect your business, then remember that simple signs or “staff favorite” suggestions can bring a little more awareness to the category. They might also consider merchandising fish oils near registers, and placing short-term incentives in the hands of staff. It could be as simple as running contests to see who can sell the most omega-3. Be creative. Have fun with your vendors and your staff. That in itself will always pay off.

Schutt: GOED would love to work with retailers more closely. We have designed a series of consumer infographics that are available to download [https://alwaysomega3s.com/do/ share]. These are non-branded, DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994)-compliant education pieces that retailers can use online or in stores to educate consumers about the benefits of omega-3s and support the category. VR

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