SUGGESTED USAGE: As a dietary supplement, take 1 softgel 1 to 3 times daily with meals.

Omega-3 Molecularly Distilled, Odor Controlled - Enteric Coated, Fish Oil Concentrate, Cholesterol Free

The Natural Fish Oil Concentrate used in this softgel is molecularly distilled and manufactured under strict quality control standards. It is screened for the absence of potentially harmful levels of contaminants (i.e. mercury, heavy metals, PCB's, dioxins, and other contaminants).

Those who experience nausea or reflux from other fish oils should find this enteric coated, odor controlled softgel easier to digest.

The Fish Oil Concentrate is primarily derived from sardines, anchovies and mackerel.

Consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. FDA evaluated the data and determined that, although there is scientific evidence supporting the claim, the evidence in not conclusive.

Fish Oil May Help Relieve Stubborn Depression
Thu Oct 17,11:21 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Daily supplements of an omega-3 fatty acid--found in fish and fish oil--may help alleviate the symptoms of depression in patients who do not respond to standard antidepressant medications, new research findings suggest.

Dr. Malcolm Peet of the Swallownest Court Hospital in Sheffield, England and his colleague found that depressed patients who received a daily dose of 1 gram of an omega-3 fatty acid for 12 weeks experienced a decrease in their symptoms, such as sadness, anxiety and sleeping problems.

The only side effect of the treatment appeared to be gastrointestinal problems, which Peet and his co-author Dr. David F. Horrobin of Laxdale Research, Ltd. in Stirling, Scotland, deemed "mild."

All of the patients had tried other medications before enrolling in the current study, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac and medications from an older family of drugs called tricyclic antidepressants. Both types of drug are considered standard treatments for depression.

This is not the first study to suggest that omega-3 fatty acids, such as the form of eicosapenaenoic acid (EPA) used in this report, may help patients with psychiatric disorders. Previous researchers have suggested that the balance of omega-3 fatty acids in the brain may become skewed in people with depression, and earlier studies have shown that fish oil supplements can help alleviate the symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, or manic depression.

In addition, researchers have found that people who are depressed, as well as those diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases and other conditions associated with depression, have relatively low levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood.

In the current study, reported in the October issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, Peet and Horrobin asked 70 depressed patients who had not benefited from previous treatments to take a daily dose of either 1 gram, 2 grams or 4 grams of EPA, or an inactive drug. The treatment lasted 12 weeks.

The investigators found that people given the 1 gram daily EPA dose experienced improvements--relative to those given the inactive drug--in all of the measured aspects of depression, including sadness, anxiety, low libido and suicidal tendencies. In fact, 69% of the patients treated with the 1-gram daily dose achieved a 50% reduction in their symptoms of depression, a result seen in only 25% of the patients given an inactive drug.

"The effect of ethyl-eicosapentaenoate (the form of EPA used) applies to all major components of the depressive syndrome and is seen equally in the patient and physician assessments," the authors write.

Peet and Horrobin did not note any improvements in the patients given higher doses of the fatty acid relative to the placebo group, which they suggested may be due to the small number of people who were given either 2 grams or 4 grams per day.

"Although there appeared to be a trend toward significant efficacy at the 4-gram per day dosage, larger studies would be required to elucidate possible beneficial effects of the higher dosages," they write.

SOURCE: Archives of General Psychiatry 2002;59:913-919.

Eating Oily Fish May Reduce Risk of Asthma
December 18, 2002 Add Health

LONDON (Reuters Health) - Eating oily fish like salmon or mackerel regularly may reduce the risk of asthma symptoms, according to new British research.

A study by public health experts at the University of Cambridge suggests regular consumption of fish like salmon, mackerel and herring can have a protective effect. It is the latest evidence that diet is important in determining who is most at risk of developing asthma, and adds to the list of benefits ascribed to fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

"This study adds to existing evidence that a diet high in oily fish could protect against asthma," said the National Asthma Campaign in a statement released in response to the study.

"There have now been several studies suggesting an association between intake of certain foods and a lower incidence of asthma. These have shown a potential association between intake of oily fish, fresh fruit and magnesium--which is found in fresh fruit and vegetables and reduced by cooking--and a lower rate of asthma," the National Asthma Campaign statement notes.

The results add to the argument that lifestyle changes could be one reason that asthma rates are increasing.

A team of researchers from the university studied more than 750 volunteers who were already taking part in a much bigger investigation called the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer--a long-term study into the effects of diet on cancer.

They provided details of diet and lifestyles and were also asked if they had even been diagnosed with asthma.

The results revealed 333 patients had suffered wheezing in the 12 months before completing their questionnaire and 437 had not.

More than 12% of the healthy volunteers reported eating oily fish at least twice a week, compared with just 7.5% of the asthma sufferers.

After accounting for other asthma risk factors, such as body mass index, social class and smoking habits, the researchers found regular fish consumption roughly halved the risk of asthma attacks, wheezing or waking up with tightness in the chest.

"These data support the hypothesis that regular consumption of oily fish may be protective against symptomatic asthma," the researchers said in a report at the recent British Thoracic Society Winter meeting in London.

How the polyunsaturated fatty acids in these fish protect against asthma remains unknown, but scientists speculate it may to do with reducing production of prostaglandins linked with constriction of the airways.

Eating oily fish has also been linked to protection from heart disease, arthritis and other ailments.

Fish oil omega 3 DHA

Study Looks at Cod Liver Oil, Babies' IQs

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pregnant and breast-feeding women who supplement their diets with cod liver oil may help boost their children's intelligence, according to new study findings. But a leading US consumer advocate and physician argues that the study was too flawed for any conclusions to be drawn about the effects of cod-liver oil.

"There's too many problems with the study to reach any conclusion at all," Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of the Washington, DC-based Public Citizen's Health Research Group, told Reuters Health.

The study is ongoing and researchers will test intelligence again when the children are 7 years old.

A type of omega-3 fatty acid known as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is crucial for the development of the central nervous system. It is theorized that pregnant and breast-feeding women who consume such fatty acids might improve the intellectual potential of their children, particularly during the third trimester and in the first three months of life, when the brain undergoes growth spurts.

To investigate, researchers gave more than 300 women either cod liver oil or corn oil supplements in their 18th week of pregnancy. The women took the supplements daily until their infant was 3 months old. There were no other differences in nutrient intake as a result of the mothers' usual diets.

According to findings based on 84 infants, children born to mothers who took cod liver oil supplements scored higher on intelligence tests measuring problem solving and information processing at 4 years of age.

The study is published in the January online issue of Pediatrics.

While more research is needed, the findings suggest that pregnant and lactating women should take the supplements since they are not associated with any negative side effects, Dr. Ingrid Helland, the lead investigator, told Reuters Health.

"Supplementing pregnant and lactating women with marine omega-3 fatty acids may increase their children's intelligence at 4 years," said Helland, from Rikshospitalet University Hospital in Oslo, Norway.

However, experts generally recommend that pregnant women avoid medications and supplements in pregnancy, unless the benefits have been clearly shown to outweigh the risks--as in the case of folic acid, which helps prevent birth defects. Women should consult their physician before taking any supplements during pregnancy.

The new findings support research showing that breast-fed infants may out smart their formula-fed peers later in life, possibly as a result of compounds, including omega-3 fatty acids, found in breast milk. Last year, these compounds were added to infant formulas sold in the United States. Whether infants benefit equally from synthetic forms of these fatty acids is not yet clear.

It is also not known if cod liver oil taken during pregnancy would benefit infants who are fed formula, the researchers note.

Wolfe argued that 40% of parents in the study refused to have their children's intelligence tested, which could have produced a "huge" bias in the study because such parents may have thought their children had problems. Also, he added, results were not statistically significant for three of the four measures of intelligence that the researchers used.

While there is not likely to be an issue of mercury contamination with cod liver oil, as there is with certain other types of fish, Wolfe noted, any "potentially pharmacologically active" substance should be proven safe and effective in well-controlled studies before its use is recommended.

SOURCE: Pediatrics online 2003;111:e39-e44.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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