17 replies to this topic

[lynx]

http://biz.yahoo.com...th076.html?.v=6

New Study Shows Martek DHA™ Significantly Lowers Triglycerides and Positively Impacts LDL Cholesterol Particle Size
Thursday June 2, 4:48 pm ET


COLUMBIA, Md., June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) significantly lowered triglycerides and decreased harmful small, dense LDL "bad" cholesterol particles in men and women with below average HDL "good" cholesterol levels, according to study results published this month in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
Sponsored by Martek, the double-blind, placebo controlled study involved 57 men and women supplemented with either 1.5 grams of Martek's algal DHA or placebo daily for 6 weeks. Triglycerides were lowered in the DHA group by 21% -- a statistically significant amount when compared to the response in the placebo group. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) or "good cholesterol" also increased, but it was not statistically significant when compared to placebo. C-reactive protein was not tested in this study.

The DHA group also had a dramatic redistribution of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) or "bad cholesterol," shifting from the small, dense LDL particles believed to contribute significantly to the development of plaques in arteries, toward large, buoyant LDL particles, which are believed to be less harmful. The fraction of LDL cholesterol carried by small, dense particles declined by 10%, when compared to placebo. Consistent with other studies, the DHA supplemented group experienced a modest, but statistically significant, increase in the concentration of LDL cholesterol.

"I was very encouraged to see that DHA caused a significant decline in the proportion of cholesterol carried by the most harmful, small, dense LDL particles. This could be a part of the explanation for the heart benefits observed in long-term studies with omega-3 fatty acid supplements," said the study's lead investigator Dr. Kevin C. Maki of Provident Clinical Research in Chicago (formerly with Radiant Research, where the study was conducted).

Martek Biosciences Corporation (Nasdaq: MATK - News) develops, manufactures and sells products from microalgae. The Company's products include: (1) specialty, nutritional oils for infant formula that aid in the development of the eyes and central nervous system in newborns; (2) nutritional supplements and food ingredients that may play a beneficial role in promoting mental and cardiovascular health throughout life; and (3) powerful fluorescent markers for diagnostics, rapid miniaturized screening, and gene and protein detection.

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Martek's products. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause future actual results to differ due to a variety of risk factors, including without limitation those factors set forth in Martek's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

[scottl]

"supplemented with either 1.5 grams of Martek's algal DHA "

Interesting they used pure DHA (guess that is because that is what the company makes).

Lynx what is your take on EPA vs DHA?

[lynx]

I think they both have their place, and depending on what your goal is one may be preferable over another. Like AOR pointed out quite well in their article, EPA is better for mood. Then for kids, DHA is probably more important. And for fat loss EPA is probably more important, because oxidized EPA is a PPAR alpha agonist.

I, like you, just take Fish Oil.

[scottl]

Thanks.

[123456]

I was forced to take Cod Liver Oil when I was a kid, Yuck.

[lynx]

Your parents did you a HUGE favor.

[zoolander]

Not that I am dobting the research in the study but how and why would you title your research with he brandname of the DHA that you used. To me it shows a conflict of interest and I personally would avoid that like the plague.

Research is suppossed to be about disproving a hypothesis isn't it? It not supposed to be about selling a product!

Here is just a heads up guys and maybe you all are very aware of this already.

1. If you read a research article with a companies name in it.....WARNING, WARNING, WARNING. They are trying to sell a product. Do you think you would ever read a paper that said

"Maytek ™ DHA showed no significant changes in mood but caused continual anal leakage of oil"

I dont think so. If this was the case they would never publish the paper. Not with that title at least

2. The only time you should see a company brand printed in a peer reviewed research paper (in my opinion) is in the methods section when the protocol is mentioned. So if you read an article on the beneficial effects of Gingko Biloba, for example, look at the paper and the companies name should be mentioned in the methods section.


EDIT: If there is a multi-national supplement company out there that wants to pay me US$100,000 per year to look at the effects of fats on elevation of mood and also to print their name in the title of the research paper if positive results are seen. You can contact me on 1-800-SELLOUT or email me at : imyourmonkey@shortnotice.com.au

[lynx]

Well then you can discount every single study ever done on any patented molecule still under patent.

[zoolander]

So lynx, so you disagree or agree that having a product brandname in the title of a study shows conflict of interest.

I wouldnt discount the study I would be weary of the results.

I have seen my colleges massage data on behelf of their suppliers. Fortunately I am not in the same boat

[eternaltraveler]

why else would any company sponsor a study?

[zoolander]

I was awarded a US$2500 scholarship from NOW FOODS to support research in the area of aging and supplementation. I do not use their supplements and they have not asked me to use their supplements.

I am currently using a big companies whey protein powder with my research and the only place that you will see their name is under the methods sections in small writing besides whey protein. You won't see it in the title.

This large supplement manufacturer however may want to publish the result from the study. How they word the results is up to them but I will not let them publish false information. Here's an example, if I get a change in strength for a 1-RM bench press from 100 kg to 125 kg after taking this supplement companies whey protein, I will report that as a 25% percent change but what a supplement company could do is then compare it with the changes seen in the control. If the control subjects only increased the 1-RM by 5 kg then this is a fifth of that seen with the whey protein. This change would be presented by the supplement company as a 500% increase in strength when compared to control subjects because if 5kg is 100% then 25kg is 5 times that hence 500%. This exagerates the truth. This is the difference between reading a peer reviewed paper from a reliable scientific journal compared to an article written in a column or on the side of a tub of protein.

[lynx]

The triglyceride finding is not new and given the rapid reduction in cardiac mortality from fish oil supplementation, the LDL particle size finding makes sense. Given the non-revolutionary nature of the report, I see it as credible and I applaud them for putting their money on the table.

In general, I am very pleased with the dramatic increase in serious preliminary trials being done by supplement companies and especially raw material suppliers.

[pinballwizard]

We know about the toxicity from studying eskimos and their diets of basically only seal meat but primarily deep sea fish. There isn't any. In fact, in spite of the huge red meat diet of eskimos, their heart disease rates are way down. Same goes for people who live on Okiniwa who eat fish as their staple protein. Okinawas have the highest life expectancy in the world. Instances of problems are still small.

It was also a main staple of my Baltic ancestory. I would say that it has been the main staple of our species and the species before it because it was much easier to fish then to chase buffalo over a cliff. Anthropologists will tell you that this why they have discovered so much human evolution on the coast and the exodus out of Africa occurred on the coastlines. Once man figured out how to get protein from fish, their brains started getting larger. Perhaps that is incorrect afterall. Perhaps it is the DHA as well. Also, it is because the coast is a more temperate climate.

Need I remind people that 20 grams of omega-3 is still about 5% of the calories in my diet?

Furthermore, DHA makes about 20% of the brain's total mass. DHA makes up 30% of the eye-ball. Your body makes it's own DHA. Hmm.. I wonder why my vision has improved since the last time I went to the eye-doctor? It could be other things. I would like to see if it improves however, since I was not taking that much DHA (300mgs daily) at the time.

That being said, we are still in undiscovered territory. Watch for bleeding... or anything else. Eskimos already tested out this theory for the last 10,000+ years and while their instances of blood thinning is a little greater, if you are not on blood thinners, your chances are equal or greater than the eskimos.

However, eskimos are not okiniwans who eat less fish and live much longer.

If the supplementation industry can be wrong with vitamin E they can just as easily be wrong with fish oil. But the mounting evidence so far proves to the contrary.

Therefore, I will continue with 20grams a day... for the next month and I might bring it down to 12 grams for the sake of moderation alone.

If you can test the blood thinning with blood tests then the freaking debate is over. can this be tested? if so what is the name of the blood test? I know that you can test your cholesteral to see if it is too low and that is helpful if you take fish oil

sincerely,

--Pinball

[scottl]

Pinball why 20 g? That's about..what 7g EPA + DHA?

Are you?

--dieting especially if you are heavy and/or endomorph
--treating inflammation
or?


I'm not sure...it might be bleeding time. But how do you know what the optimal is and what is too much? REmnd me how old you are, and is there are heart disease in your family? Any medical problems?

[pinballwizard]

Pinball why 20 g?  That's about..what 7g EPA + DHA? 

Are you?

--dieting especially if you are heavy and/or endomorph
--treating inflammation
or?


I'm not sure...it might be bleeding time.  But how do you know what the optimal is and what is too much?  REmnd me how old you are, and is there are heart disease in your family? Any medical problems?

I am endomorph from American food, but naturally a mesomorph. I am about 17-20% body fat and 215-220 pounds. I should be at 195-200lbs. My cholesterol was mid range on the ratio and a little above average on the total.

I am going to get my cholesterol checked on Tuesday morning... Any other tests that I should get?

treating inflammation... my arthritus is a little more painful. It could be the bikram yoga. I wonder how drugs can be affected by 104 degree heat for an hour and half. I am sweating a great deal.

There is a history of heart disease in my family... That is, genetically, it does not look good heart disease-wise. My dad was on omega-3s from mostly flax for a couple years and it still didn't prevent a recommendation for a double (?) bipass even though he never had a heart attack... it was actually a preventative by-pass surgery.

For those that don't know what a by-pass is: that is where they put your whole body in ice and stop your heart and your body runs on pumps, then they crack open your rib cage reroute important clogged arteries to un-used ones that are not clogged. Then docs massage your heart to start working again and staple your chest shut all accept a tube that pumps fluid out of your chest... finally they remove the tube from the chest. A preventative heart stopping surgery...AND FLAX SEED DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO HIS CHOLESTEROL... IT CONTINUED TO SCREAM HIGHER EVEN AS HE MADE DIETARY CHANGES. THAT IS GENETICS FOR YOU.

[pinballwizard]

I am going to decrease the fish oil down to 10 grams at the end of the month.

[scottl]

Hang on...slowwww.

1. leave the fish oil dosing till you finish cutting. and lose the weight.

2. Ditch Bikram. Really no need to beat yourself up. Find a good iyengar teacher. It is plenty tough enough and recommended.

3. Get tested for homocysteine and CRP (c reactive protein) and the usual cholesterol stuff as a first aproximation.

4. Given your risk factors, there are...newer better tests i.e. subdividing HDL, LDL.... e.g. smalll particle LDL and such. IF you can, get these done, although you may need to pay. I Know of these and a book to recommend on these but haven't had time to check into it).

5. Aerobic exercise regularly? A must.

Gotta run falling asleep. remind me to get back to this.