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Nordic Naturals Omega Longevity Combines Fish Oil, Green tea and Resveratrol

Fish oil, when combined with epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG)—a polyphenol and antioxidant found in green tea, may affect chemical processes in the brain associated with Alzheimers disease, according to a study published in Neuroscience Letters. This study, which used an animal (mouse) model of Alzheimers disease, builds on previous research linking the disease to peptides (amino acid chains) called beta-amyloids and laboratory studies suggesting that EGCG decreases memory problems and beta-amyloid deposits in mice.

Researchers from the University of South Florida divided Alzheimer’s disease-model mice into five feeding groups. During a period of 6 months, each group was fed one of five diets: fish oil only; high dose EGCG; low dose EGCG; low?dose EGCG and fish oil; or a regular diet (control). The researchers observed that low dose EGCG alone did not reduce the Alzheimer’s disease-related chemical processes in the brain. However, the mice fed the combination of fish oil and EGCG had a significant reduction in amyloid deposits that have been linked with Alzheimer’s disease.

Further research is necessary, however, to determine if the combination of fish oil and EGCG affects memory or cognition, and whether it might have potential as an option for people at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Source: Giunta B, Hou H, Zhu Y, et al. Fish oil enhances anti-amyloidogenic properties of green tea EGCG in Tg2576 mice. Neuroscience Letters. 2010;471(3):134–138.

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Atherosclerosis and Heart Disease

New Study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association

The news about omega-3 benefits keeps coming! The evidence continues to grow stronger. Patients with coronary heart disease showed relatively longer “telomeres” when taking omega-3. As we age, our cells continue to divide and the “telomeres” shrink in size and thus is a marker of biological age. Shorter telomeres have been correlated with death and heart failure in several studies.

In a study published in this week’s JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), researchers measured telomere length in over 600 patients over 5 years. The study found that people with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their system had significantly less shrinkage in telomeres over five years, as compared with patients with lower omega-3 levels.

“What we’re demonstrating is a potentially new link between omega-3 fatty acids and the aging process,” said Ramin Farzaneh-Far, a clinical cardiologist and assistant medical professor at UCSF and San Francisco General Hospital who is the lead author of the research.

This comes just after other recent studies showing the benefits of omega-3 to heart patients. Just in August of 2009 a study was published in the August 11, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, which reviewed data on four trials involving almost 40,000 participants and overwhelmingly confirmed the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, in treatment after heart attack and, most recently, in heart failure patients.

The researchers conclude that the current recommendations on omega-3 fatty acids don’t change and the following guide from American Heart Association (AHA) on appropriate dosage levels is very much valid:

The AHA notes that patients taking more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids from capsules should only do so under a physician’s care.  High intakes could cause excessive bleeding in some people.

Sources: Journal of American Medical Association. American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology, and The Wall Street Journal