Despite Consumerlab reports to the contrary, fish oil supplements have not yet topped multivitamin sales. However, they are growing at a much faster rate, expanding 17 percent in 2009, compared to just over two percent for multivitamins, according to reports. 

That’s due, in part, to consumer knowledge and excitement about what’s new with essential fatty acids (EFAs). Adam Ismail, executive director of the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED, Salt Lake City, UT), said, “The most significant advancement we are seeing speaks to the hunger consumers have for what they consider new and better omega-3s. Since GNC’s launch of triple-strength fish oils, many other companies have followed suit. However, these products are quickly becoming the highest volume products for many retailers because omega-3 users have been keen to trade up and buy products that give them more EPA and DHA for a better value.” The standard fish oils capsules have 300mg of EPA and DHA per 1g capsule, but the innovation here is that they have used a higher concentrate oil and increased the capsule size, to deliver a product with 900mg of EPA and DHA in a single capsule, he pointed out. 

Ismail also noted that consumers are excited about new product forms and any other product that they perceive to utilize more advanced technology. “So this is all part of the omega-3 users becoming more knowledgeable about their benefits and understanding how much they need.” 

Food and Supplements: Getting the Most From EFAs 

There still exists the argument on how consumers should best get their EFAs. Steve Holtby, president and CEO of Soft Gel Technologies, Inc. (Los Angeles, CA), said soft gels tend to be the best supplement delivery system for omega-3 fatty acids, “since these are oils and lipid-soluble ingredients work well in soft gels. As a contract manufacturer of soft gelatin capsules, we specialize in encapsulating omega-3 oils and essential fatty acids.” 

Holtby also noted other examples such as new food and beverage products with added omega-3 fatty acids that have emerged in the marketplace because of the mounting evidence of the overall health benefits associated with omega-3 fatty acids. “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed a number of fish and algal oils to be generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for food fortification,” he said. 

“Algal oil is useful for those concerned with fish consumption and those who do not include fish in their diets, such as some vegetarians. Examples of foods being fortified with omega-3 fatty acids include milk-based products, juices, table spreads, salad dressings, sauces, breakfast cereals, baked goods, sauces, infant formulas, baby foods and juices, among others.” 

But Holtby also warned that these Fortified foods have to be closely examined by consumers. “While these foods are providing you with healthy omega-3 fatty acids, they also contain omega-6 fatty acids,” he said. “When the ratio is out of balance (having a higher intake of omega-6), it can lead to inflammation in the body.” 

Although omega-3 may be obtained from foods with omega-3, not all foods are created equally and they differ in The type of omega-3 they contain as well as in the amount. “While eating omega-3 foods is generally considered to be better than supplements, more people prefer supplements for a variety of reasons. One of the major reasons is that eating the fish itself can be harmful to one’s health because it contains high levels of contaminants such as mercury and lead,” Holtby explained. “Fish oil capsules, however, can be purified so that toxins and impurities are eliminated from the oil through a process called molecular distillation. Supplements are also more convenient and you know exactly how much omega-3 you are getting, without having to eat too much.”

“All nutritionists will tell you that eating seafood is the best way to get your omega-3s. However, for the people who do not eat enough or even just need to slightly increase their intakes, both supplements and foods are great choices,” agreed Ismail, adding that his family actually takes both to make sure they get enough in their diets. “The advancements in microencapsulation, the use of emulsions and better understanding of how omega-3s react in food matrices have all made it possible to find omega-3s much more easily in the store. It still is not in every food category of every store, but it is on its way.

“The other big advancement is the adoption of enteric coating in supplements,” he added. “Enteric coatings have been around for a while, but it is just now that we are starting to see a major shift towards these products because brand owners are adamant they do not want fish burps.” 

As for delivery, Health Care Marketing Manager Karen H. Chen with Croda Inc. (Edison, NJ) offered that it’s hard to say if there is a best way to utilize EFAs, but currently supplements continue to lead the way. “Still, advancements in the functional food and beverage category are making inroads into alternative forms for the delivery of EFAs.”

Such advancements include Omelife™, Croda’s novel technology that utilizes a deodorized, concentrated and refined omega-3 fish oil, which is then encapsulated within a complex of milk proteins. This combination of proteins give the omega-3 emulsion superior emulsifying and antioxidant capabilities, as well as ensuring minimal oxidation, increased shelf life and ease of use in food and beverage applications, she said.

EFA Studies: Beyond the Heart 

Scientists continue to delve deeper into the health effects of the different types of fatty acids, Holtby noted. Clinical trials that validate the efficacy of dietary Fish oil and omega-3 supplementation in improving medical conditions, besides those associated with the cardiovascular system, are performed repeatedly. “Ongoing study of optimal amounts of polyunsaturated fats in the diet has led to the premise that a balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is necessary for maximizing the benefits of these fats,” Holtby said. “Some scientists believe that diets high in omega-6 fatty acids relative to omega-3 fatty acids promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects. This has led to the proposed use of a target intake ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids for assessing health risk and making dietary recommendations.”

What recently has been found is that the fatty acids EPA and DHA are important in mental health and brain function. Human studies using these omega-3s (usually more EPA) have shown good benefit for those with depression, including those at risk for suicide. They have also shown benefit in children with learning problems. 

“While omega-3 oil may be best known for its ability to normalize lipids for cardiovascular health, the role high levels of EPA and DHA play in helping with immune system response continues to be documented,” Holtby added. “Since systemic inflammation may cause many of the health-related diseases, these essential fatty acids are being shown to reduce inflammation. Aging has been attributed to inflammation, particularly at the cellular level. Free radicals damage cells and may be introduced into the body as a result of environmental toxins, stress, a sugar- and trans fat-laden diet, and exposure to ultraviolet light, to name a few. Accumulating evidence strongly suggests that oxidative stress is linked to almost every disease of aging.” 

Ismail pointed out that there are actually more scientific papers and clinical studies on omega-3s than any other nutrient—more than 20,000 papers have been written about EPA and DHA, including over 2,400 randomized, controlled trials, he said. “The amazing thing is that we are really only at the beginning of our understanding of EPA and DHA and the full multi-factorial role they play in human health. Heart health is of course always an area of interest, but I think you begin to see much more brain health research as scientists try to figure out the true role of omega-3s in the brain.”

Mass Attention 

Industry experts agreed that advancements in consumer knowledge on EFAs have occurred in recent years, and the reasons for this are varied. “I believe that many EFA manufacturers have avoided making label-only claims and have stuck to more scientifically substantiated health benefits as their marketing direction over the years,” said Croda’s Chen. “These scientifically proven benefits have been strongly substantiated with various studies, which allows the consumer to see the true benefits of EFAs, and word of mouth (viral marketing, blogs, etc.) has contributed to the increased consumer awareness. In addition, awareness has been successfully spread via television and other media outlets, which also rely heavily on medical studies in their reporting.”

“There are a few factors,” added Ismail. “First, omega-3s are in the mass media much more now. For instance, there are popular doctors shows on TV in the U.S., all of which have done segments on omega-3s. In addition, the U. S. Dietary Guidelines now specifically talk about omega-3s, which was something GOED urged them to do in our public comments on the Guidelines.” 

Ismail also stressed the importance of dietary dose. “The next big step,” he said, “will be getting a recommended intake established in the U.S. The only major developed countries in the world that don’t have recommended intakes for omega-3s now are the U.S. and Canada. We need to fix this situation.”

Trend Watch, Areas of Concern 

With the popularity and importance of EFAs expected to increase, there are a variety of issues suppliers and manufacturers are staying aware of, but safety, efficacy and oversight are priorities. 

Holtby noted consumer anxiety about eating fish because of growing information about environmental toxins. “The high mercury content of fish may diminish its protective effects against heart disease. Toxic levels of lead are another concern with consumption of dietary fish,” he said. “This is why the purity of Fish oil supplements is of utmost importance, and we need to educate consumers about the variance of quality in fish oil. It’s important to know the source and the manufacturer to ensure that quality control steps are in place to guarantee a high-quality fish oil product.”

Holtby added that poor quality fish oil does not function in the body as well as high quality fish oil most likely because it is oxidized and contains little omega-3 (which is why the price is low). “More scrupulous suppliers sell fish oil that is refined and purified, which increases its nutritional value. The purification process removes other fats that exist in fish, including saturated fat. Natural filtering methods, molecular distillation and careful manufacturing processes help ensure purity—levels of heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and dioxins and other toxic elements,” he said, adding that molecular distillation is a form of deodorization that removes unwanted elements such as man-made pollutants and oxidized components from fish oil. “These elements occur naturally or result from the environment. The process creates very high quality oil that can be used in omega-3 dietary supplements and functional food ingredients. It allows consumers to safely benefit from the health-enhancing effects delivered through fish oil.”

As EPA and DHA are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and highly susceptible to oxidation, Holtby added that freshness is also critical. “Some fish oil products are made with oil from byproducts of the fishing industry, while others are made from fish harvested specifically for supplement production. There is concern that during the byproduct process, the oil is not immediately protected from oxidation as it is in the direct process,” he said. “Oxidation not only influences the taste (and aftertaste) of the fish oil, but it also impacts efficacy. Freshness is measured by peroxide value, a measure of oxidation. Containing the fresh oil in an oxygenfree environment at all times, along with low-temperature manufacturing, maintain freshness.”

He noted that better fish oil supplements contain natural stabilizers and antioxidants to preserve and improve the stability of the unsaturated oil in the capsule or bottle and reduce oxidative stress, thereby improving biological utilization. 

Soft Gel Technologies, for example, produces EZ Mega 3 soft gel fish oil that contains an ethyl ester concentrate derived from the oil of cold-water fish that are free of potential toxins, are odorless, minimize aftertaste and reflux, and are extremely stable.

“Better companies sell fish oil that is refined and purified to increase its nutritional value, not diminish it,” Holtby said. “Purification does remove other fats that exist in fish (fats that we already get enough of, or we don’t want more of, like saturated fat). When companies concentrate the fish oil, then there is much more nutritional value in the fish oil capsules.”

A serious area of concern for Ismail is the hubris companies are showing as they market their products. “There will be more growth in the category, but I also expect more enforcement activity,” said Ismail. “Many of the new omega-3 products being launched by small companies in the U.S. are making disease claims. We would like to see this stop and help educate these types of companies.” 

Market trends predict continued use of EFAs in the functional food and beverage category as consumers are looking for additional ways besides supplements to obtain their daily intake of EFAs, added Chen. “Many consumers would prefer to get their omega-3s through their morning orange juice or muffin followed by their sandwich bread for lunch and an afternoon yogurt as it can be easier than remembering to take your supplements each day.”

This poses a challenge, Chen said, noting that it will be important for the FDA to monitor and someday regulate “Good Source of Omega-3” claims on the packaging of these foods to ensure that there are sufficient levels of EFAs contained within the products to provide the benefits consumers seek. “However, with the advancements of omega-3 ingredients for functional foods, it has become easier to incorporate effective levels of omega-3 into foods while maintaining ease of manufacturing, taste and overall product quality.”

Awareness of omega-3s is universal now,” Ismail concluded, “and consumers are educating themselves more about the benefits and how much is needed. Also, more studies are completed every day and governments around the world are recognizing this. All of these dynamics set the stage for more growth.”