Supplements & functional ingredients
compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.6% expected until 2028. This is doubly true in developing countries: China is now the third largest market for omega-3 oils in the world.
Even so, the path ahead is far from clear. Omega- 3s are not without problems. Renewed focus on the harmful effects of the global fishing industry, an aversion to their inevitable fishy taste and - in some quarters - pill taking in and of itself, have forced the industry to meet these challenges head on. Even so, between shifting culinary norms and better supplements, there is growing evidence that omega-3s are beginning a second wind – with health benefits for us all.
The alpha is the omega Dr William Harris became interested in omega-3s when most of the world still thought they were some kind of space mission. He started his work in the 1970s, feeding volunteers vast quantities of salmon oil and seeing if it affected their cholesterol rates. “I was interested from the beginning in the effects of omega-3, like in salmon oil, on lipid metabolism, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL,” says Harris, an omega-3 specialist at the University of South Dakota, adding that since the early 2000s his focus has been on examining the link between omega-3 blood levels and various diseases. In other words, what Harris has to say about omega-3s is worth listening to – and he is more than happy to sing their praises. “They make your cells healthier,” he says. Beyond the hurricane of technical language, indeed, there is plenty of evidence that omega-3s, both in their eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) varieties, particularly common in fish, can do much to keep our bodies ticking over smoothly. As Adam Ismail, chief strategy officer at supplement manufacturer KD Pharma Group explains, this is fundamentally down to their structure. As unsaturated fatty acids, says Ismail, omega-3s are remarkably fluid chemicals. In practice, that means they keep cell membranes fluid too, ensuring they function properly. This chemical wizardry is reflected in more practical ways too. Omega-3s are useful to combat a wide variety of ailments. When it comes to physical pain, for instance, studies suggest they can fight arthritis. Because they battle inflammation, they can also tackle asthma. A host of other illnesses – including heart disease and colon cancer – could potentially be treated with omega-3s too. The same is true when it comes to mental disorders, from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. And though some of the science remains disputed, the broad benefits of omega-3s are
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reflected in how popular they are. According to one survey, 7.8% of American adults took omega-3 supplements in 2012, and the FDA gave its backing to new omega-3 health claims as recently as 2019.
Taking it in Vitamin C is probably the most famous nutrient in the world. Why? Because of its simplicity. Harris puts it starkly: “Vitamin C prevents scurvy. It’s a clear disease and a clear fix.” Omega-3s, for all their potential, cannot be constrained so easily. Rather than targeting an illness directly, after all, they instead improve cell health in general.
“Genetically engineering plants is going to be a big game changer over the next decade or two,” he explains. “Then you have an essentially infinite source and you don’t have to kill any fish, it’s clean and they just got to get over the educational problem of GMO.”
Dr William Harris
Naturally, this sometimes makes it hard to conclusively link the acids to specific changes in the body. Then there’s the question of scale. Unlike calcium or phosphorus, omega-3s only need to be consumed in small doses to be effective. Doctors recommend people take a combined maximum of 500mg of DHA and EPA each day, compared to 2,500mg of calcium. That, in turn, makes it tempting to study: Harris calls it one of the most examined nutrients on earth.
The upshot to all this is an explosion of studies into the effectiveness of omega-3s – making it easier, in Harris’s telling, for “naysayers” to hit upon a negative result. To understand what that means in
The village of Uummannaq in Greenland where researchers discovered that an omega-3-rich diet can improve health.
$5.5bn GOED 31
The value of the global market for finished products containing EPA and DHA omega-3s in 2020.
Alexander Prokopenko/
Shutterstock.com
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