Supplements & functional ingredients The rich potential of


hen the sun sets in Greenland, locals won’t see it again for months. Clinging to an island at the peak of the world, the vagaries of astrology mean people here live through a season-long night, lasting from October to February. Nor are things much easier in summer. Temperatures in August average a mere 10°C, and much of the island, all glaciers and crags, is covered by an impenetrable ice sheet all year round. Agricultural land is unsurprisingly scarce. The indigenous Inuit people mainly subsist on meat and fish: dried reindeer flesh and the hides of white whales are both considered delicacies. By traditional Western standards – built on a framework of fruit, vegetables and low cholesterol – this largely blubber-rich diet is anathema. Yet that makes the work of Jorn Dyerberg and Hans Bang, a pair of Danish researchers who visited their kingdom’s autonomous cousin in the 1970s, even more surprising. After journeying to Uummannaq on the north-west coast of Greenland to investigate studying Inuit diets, Dyerberg and Bang discovered that the locals actually suffered fewer heart attacks than people on the Danish mainland. The reason for this remarkable discovery? According to Dyerberg and Bang it was the prevalence of omega-3s. Over the past five decades, of course, the popularity of these fatty acids, common in the fish and whales eaten by the Inuit, has spread far beyond the Arctic wastes of Greenland. Arguably the most researched nutrient ever, and certainly one of the most useful, omega-3s are everywhere, from the fish counter in the supermarket to convenient pills in the pharmacy. This is reflected, too, in their economic clout. According to one recent report, the global market for omega-3s is worth around $5.5bn, with a


W 30 Ingredients Insight / www.ingredients-insight.com


omega-3s


Omega-3s have been a staple of the health food world for decades, with the fatty acids associated with a range of benefits, from lowering blood pressure to enhancing cognitive capabilities. Recently, however, growth of omega-3s in Western markets has slowed.


Andrea Valentino talks to Dr William Harris at the University of South Dakota, and Adam Ismail of KD Pharma to decipher the reasons for this slump, and asks how educational advances and new ways of consuming these substances can reinvigorate a resilient market.


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