Amazing effect of taking a high source of omega-3 fatty acids from Krill and Statin on HDL and LDL.
They suggest on their website it may be a cell membrane phospholipid composition effect. Omega-3 fatty acids incorporated into the membrane phopholipid bilayers could have interesting effects on production of pro-inflammatory
type-2 prostaglandins (PGs) and type-4
leukotrienes (LTs), and has a protective effect against oxidative and inflammatory processes.
If this interests you, you might take a look at the charts by clicking on "clinical studies" at
neptunebiotech.com
The charts suggest that the omega 3 product has a positive effect on several other disease processes.
Neptune study shows NKO and statins reduce cholesterol
2006-05-04 16:25 ET - News Release
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Mr. Grant Howard reports
NEPTUNE ANNOUNCES STUDY RESULTS OF NKO(TM) - STATIN COMBINATION: BREAKTHROUGH RESULTS IN CHOLESTEROL MANAGEMENT
Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. has released breakthrough clinical results with a combination of Neptune Krill Oil (NKO) and statins.
The study, entitled "Evaluation of the effects of Neptune Krill Oil on the clinical course of hyperlipidemia," was conducted by McGill University and University of Montreal affiliated doctors. The objective of the study was to assess the effects of Neptune Krill Oil on total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and HDL, compared with statins, fish oil and placebo.
Eligible for recruitment were patients with mild-to-moderate hyperlipidemia who could maintain a healthy diet. Patients were either treatment naive, in other words not currently taking any medication for hyperlipidemia, or on a 10-milligram daily statin treatment and for at least six months. The following research findings are the result of the subgroup analysis of 65 of the 120 patients, who participated in this study. According to the study protocol, these 65 patients were already on a 10-milligram-per-day statin regimen for at least six months and continued for the duration of the study.
The results of the present study indicate that after 90 days, the combined treatment of NKO (one to 1.5 grams per day) and statins (10 milligrams per day) reduced total cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol) and increased HDL (good cholesterol) significantly more than statins alone, with a certainty of 95 per cent and a probability of chance findings less than one in 1,000.
The combined NKO/statin treatment increased HDL by 51 per cent and decreased LDL by 37 per cent, compared with a 13-per-cent HDL increase and 29-per-cent LDL decrease achieved by statins alone.
"I am extremely pleased with these results. The study strongly indicates a significant advantage in hyperlipidemia treatment when combining the therapeutic effect of NKO with statins over conventional statin therapy alone," said Dr. Tina Sampalis, MD, PhD, vice-president of research and development and business development at Neptune. "These results justify a future multicentre/multinational pivotal study of NKO versus statins to further evaluate the effects.
"Current epidemiological studies have shown a strong association between high levels of LDL and low levels of HDL and premature coronary heart disease. According to industry reports, 107 million patients suffer from high LDL; however, the number of patients with low HDL exceeds 107 million," concluded Dr. Sampalis.
"According to the American Heart Association and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the cost of cardiovascular disease and stroke in North America only for 2006 is estimated at $453-billion," said Henri Harland, president and chief executive officer of Neptune. "It is predicted that statins will continue to dominate the cardiovascular disease market during the 2006-to-2012 period. However, the pharmaceutical industry has recognized the importance of an HDL increase in lipid management and is looking to improve the performance of statins with more complete and effective therapies. Neptune's tremendously encouraging preliminary results direct us to aggressively target this market and prove NKO as a standard in lipid care," concluded Mr. Harland.
neptunebiotech.com
The balance of polyunsaturated essential
fatty acids (PUFAs) in the body is critical for the
maintenance of healthy cell membranes and hormone
regulation. During the last few decades the
fatty acid content of the U.S. diet has shifted so it
now contains much higher levels of omega-6 and
less omega-3 fatty acids. When long-chain omega-
6 fatty acids predominate in the phospholipids of
cell membranes, the production of pro-inflammatory
type-2 prostaglandins (PGs) and type-4
leukotrienes (LTs) are encouraged; whereas, the
presence of omega-3 fatty acids promotes the production
of anti-inflammatory PGs and LTs.1,2
Omega-6 fatty acids, mainly arachidonic
acid, have been shown to initiate an inflammatory
process by triggering a flux of inflammatory
PGs and LTs.3,4 Omega-3 fatty acids, mainly
eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic
acid (DHA), compete with the omega-6 species
for the enzyme prostaglandin synthetase. Omega-
3 fatty acids trigger secretion of less potent 5-series
LTs and anti-inflammatory PGs of the 3 series
(PE3, PI3 and thromboxanes-A3).4-9 Consequently,
supplementation with EPA and DHA promotes
the production of less potent PGs and LTs,
resulting in a decrease in the formation of inflammatory
mediators.10-13
The exact mechanism of action by which
omega-3 fatty acids favorably modify cardiovascular
disease and associated disorders is not yet
fully confirmed. Evidence suggests an increased
intake of EPA and DHA results in an increase of
EPA and DHA in tissue, cellular lipids, and circulatory
lipids.14 In parallel, they result in a simultaneous
reduction of omega-6 fatty acids in the
body.14 This fatty acid shift is predominantly
marked in cell membrane-bound phospholipids
and results in alteration of the physicochemical
properties of cell membranes. This favorably
modifies cellular functions, including cell signaling,
gene expression, biosynthetic processes, and
eicosanoid formation.15
Human studies have revealed the ability
of EPA and DHA to significantly reduce circulating
levels of blood triglyceride and very low-density
lipoprotein (VLDL), which have been associated
with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
16,17
Krill oil is extracted from Antarctic krill,
Euphausia superba, a zooplankton crustacean rich
in phospholipids carrying long-chain omega-3
PUFAs, mainly EPA and DHA. Krill oil also contains
various potent antioxidants, including vitamins
A and E, astaxanthin, and a novel flavonoid
similar to 6,8-di-c-glucosylluteolin, but with two
or more glucose molecules and one aglycone.
Krill oil has a unique biomolecular profile
of phospholipids naturally rich in omega-3
fatty acids and diverse antioxidants significantly
different from the usual profile of fish oils. The
association between phospholipids and long-chain
omega-3 fatty acids highly facilitates the passage
of fatty acid molecules through the intestinal wall,
increasing bioavailability and ultimately improving
the omega-3:omega-6 fatty acid ratio.18,19 |
