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Invisible Helpers: How Probiotic Bacteria Protect Against Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Tue, 01 May 2012 11:09:00 +1200

Some lactic acid bacteria can alleviate inflammation and therefore prevent intestinal disorders. A team of biologists and nutrition scientists working with Prof. Dirk Haller from the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) has now discovered the mechanisms at work behind this protective effect. In experiments with mice, the scientists observed that lactocepin, an enzyme produced from the lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus paracasei can selectively interrupt inflammatory processes. This new evidence might lead to new approaches for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases.

As the scientists observed, lactocepin degrades messengers from the immune system, known as chemokines, in the diseased tissue. As a part of the "normal" immune response, chemokines are needed to guide defense cells to the source of the infection. In chronic intestinal disorders like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the otherwise highly effective defense mechanism against infectious agents is malfunctioning. Chemokines such as "IP-10" then contribute to the tissue damage due to chronic inflammatory processes, preventing the tissue from healing.

Prof.Haller is certain that based on this mechanism, it will be possible to develop new approaches to the targeted prevention and treatment of chronic bowel diseases as well as skin disorders.Some bacterial strains, such as Lactobacillus paracasei, produce highly potent lactocepins; however, the effectiveness of other microorganisms has not yet been proven.

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Evidence for DHA’s Role in All Aspects of Human Health

Tue, 01 May 2012 11:04:00 +1200

A review of literature published last year in the journal Nutrients confirms the scope of evidence supporting DHA's critical role in the evolution and maintenance of human physiology. From the late Paleolithic period, consumption of DHA-rich foods (i.e. seafood) began to correspond with brain development, which surged in the last 200,000 years. Modern science has delved deeply into this relationship, noting the technological and lifestyle changes that have contributed to radical alterations of dietary essential fatty acid ratios, and quite possibly certain negative health effects from inadequate DHA.

Among the most noteworthy observation from recent years is the recognition that preformed dietary DHA far surpasses its molecular predecessor ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) when it comes to maintaining tissue DHA. Current research shows conversion rates of ALA to DHA range considerably, but fall well below 1% in some adult populations. Along with other omega-3s, the availability of DHA within cell membranes matters significantly for membrane fluidity, cell signaling, and other functions critical to optimal cell functioning. The sum of evidence "may provide a biochemical basis for a beneficial role for DHA in metabolic syndrome and neurodegenerative disease processes," writes the author.

Specifically, DHA's role in the synthesis of the docosanoid neuroprotectin (and brainderived neurotrophic factor) suggests that its anti-inflammatory effects may mitigate normal cognitive decline associated with aging, as well as the effects of more debilitating disorders such as Alzheimer's, and possibly Parkinson's Disease. Perhaps the strongest evidence for DHA's importance comes from studies with infants. This line of research finds evidence for superior visual acuity, emotional regulation, social behavior, communication, and neurodevelopment among children with higher levels of DHA consumption.

Despite the evidence supporting the importance of DHA, the modern Western diet is now largely deficient in this essential fat. However, as the cost of treating brain disorders continues to mount, research on DHA, along with improved EFA nutrition, takes on new relevance.

Nutrigenomics Study Shows Dietary Anti-inflammatories Also Decrease Oxidation and Metabolic Stress in Overweight Men

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:15:00 +1200

Nutrigenomicsis the study of the relationships between dietary factors and individual genes. New nutrigenomic research was reported from the Netherlands in which a combination product of fish oil, green tea extract, resveratrol, vitamins C and E, and a tomato juice extract produced changes to genes associated with inflammation, blood vessel health, and oxidation of fat in the liver, according to findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The researchers used a nutrigenomics approach, including proteomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics, to assess 120 plasma proteins, 274 metabolites, and the transcriptomes of blood cells and fat tissue. The intervention proved beneficial in healthy but overweight men with mildly increased CRP, as shown by large-scale profiling of genes, proteins, and metabolites in plasma, urine, and adipose tissue. Though CRP levels were unchanged, the supplement was associated with a 7% increase in levels if adiponectin, an anti-inflammatory protein hormone linked to various metabolic processes where levels are also inversely related to body fat levels.

In addition to the improvements in adiponectin levels, PI Gertruud Bakker and her team noticed a "multitude of subtle changes...which indicated modulated inflammation of adipose tissue, improved endothelial function, affected oxidative stress, and increased liver fatty acid oxidation." The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial that utilized 5-week periods for 36 subjects who consumed a supplement containing resveratrol (6.3mg), green tea extract (94.5 mg containing 40% EGCG), alpha-tocopherol (90.7 mg), vitamin C (125 mg), omega-3 fatty acids (1200 mg, of which 380 mg is EPA and 260 mg is DHA), and tomato extract (3.75 mg of lycopene).

The research team noted that the compounds were chosen in order to reproduce real life situations, and that levels were determined by data for their individual anti-inflammatory action. "A more optimal combination many exist," they noted.

Mothers Nutrition during Pregnancy can Influence her Child's Risk of Obesity

Tue, 03 May 2011 09:24:00 +1200

Scientists have discovered that a mother's nutrition during pregnancy can strongly influence her child's risk of obesity many years later.

An international study, led by University of Southampton researchers and including teams from New Zealand and Singapore, has shown for the first time that during pregnancy, a mother's diet can alter the function of her child's DNA. The process, called epigenetic change, can lead to her child tending to lay down more fat. Importantly, the study shows that this effect acts independently of how fat or thin the mother is and of child's weight at birth.

Keith Godfrey, Professor of Epidemiology and Human Development at the University of Southampton, who led the study, says:

"We have shown for the first time that susceptibility to obesity cannot simply be attributed to the combination of our genes and our lifestyle, but can be triggered by influences on a baby's development in the womb, including what the mother ate. A mother's nutrition while pregnant can cause important epigenetic changes that contribute to her offspring's risk of obesity during childhood."

Researchers measured epigenetic changes in nearly 300 children at birth and showed that these strongly predicted the degree of obesity at six or nine years of age. What was surprising to the researchers was the size of the effect - children vary in how fat they are, but measurement of the epigenetic change at birth allowed the researchers to predict 25 per cent of this variation.

The epigenetic changes, which alter the function of our DNA without changing the actual DNA sequence inherited from the mother and father, can also influence how a person responds to lifestyle factors such as diet or exercise for many years to come.

"This study indicates that measures to prevent childhood obesity should be targeted on improving a mother's nutrition and her baby's development in the womb. These powerful new epigenetic measurements might prove useful in monitoring the health of the child," adds Professor Godfrey.

"This study provides compelling evidence that epigenetic changes, at least in part, explain the link between a poor start to life and later disease risk. It strengthens the case for all women of reproductive age having greater access to nutritional, education and lifestyle support to improve the health of the next generation, and to reduce the risk of the conditions such as diabetes and heart disease which often follow obesity"

states Mark Hanson one of the research team.

"This study provides the most compelling evidence yet that just focusing on interventions in adult life will not reverse the epidemic of chronic diseases, not only in developed societies but in low socio-economic populations too" says Sir Peter Gluckman FRS research team member of the Liggins Institute at the University of Auckland.

The study team are part of an international consortium involving the Universities of Southampton and Singapore, the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, the Liggins Institute of the University of Auckland, AgResearch New Zealand and the Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton.

Professor Cyrus Cooper, who directs the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, says: "MRC population-based studies have shown that early life factors influence risk of disease many years later. Now we can begin to see the mechanisms by which this happens, opening up new avenues for medical research and interventions."

Their findings have been published (26 April 2011) in the printed journal Diabetes.

Nutrigenomics Shows Benefit of Magnesium’s Metabolic Actions

Mon, 02 May 2011 12:40:00 +1200

Magnesium may up and down-regulate a number of genes linked to metabolism: Magnesium's favourable effects on certain metabolic pathways is associated with changes in gene expression, says a new study that adds to our knowledge of nutrigenomics.

Four weeks of magnesium supplementation were associated with a decrease in levels of C-peptide, a marker of improved insulin sensitivity. The mineral was also linked to down-regulation of certain "genes related to metabolic and inflammatory pathways", according to findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"These findings lend support to the hypothesis that dietary magnesium plays a beneficial role in the regulation of insulin and glucose homeostasis,"

wrote researchers led by Simin Liu, MD, ScD, Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Study details
The new study adds to a growing body of science supporting the potential health benefits of magnesium and employed a raft of techniques, including biochemical assays of blood samples, RNA extraction, and urine proteomic profiling.

Professor Liu and his co-workers recruited 14 overweight but otherwise healthy people, and randomly assigned them to receive 500 mg per day of elemental magnesium in the citrate form, or a placebo for four weeks. After the intervention, participants underwent a one month ‘washout' period before crossing over to the other intervention.

Results showed that magnesium supplementation was linked to significantly decreased levels of C-peptide,

"which suggested a reduction in pancreatic insulin secretion that may have resulted from an improvement in insulin sensitivity and a subsequent lowered demand on the pancreas",

said the researchers.

In addition, a reduction in the concentrations of fasting insulin was measured by Prof Liu and his team.

No changes in inflammatory biomarkers were recorded, added the researchers.

In terms of gene expression, 24 genes were up-regulated, and 36 genes were down-regulated in response to magnesium supplementation, they said. Amongst the down-regulated genes were ones linked to metabolic and inflammatory pathways, explained the researchers.

"Although a number of the other genes identified as differentially expressed in this trial are unknown," said the researchers, "Our exploratory findings indicated a systemic effect of magnesium supplementation at the level of gene expression.
"This is consistent with our findings that showed a distinct protein profile in urine collected after treatment with magnesium compared with after treatment with the placebo.
"Our findings were suggestive of measurable physiologic changes in the urinary proteome after treatment with magnesium for four weeks, which warrants further investigation into these changes and identification of the proteins involved," they added.

Nutrigenomics is seen by many as the future of nutrition. Nutrigenomics is defined as how food and ingested nutrients influence the genome (personalized nutrition). Nutrigenetics is defined as how a person's genetic make-up affects a response to diet (individual nutrition). The difference between the two is important.

Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.002949.
"Magnesium supplementation, metabolic and inflammatory markers, and global genomic and proteomic profiling: a randomized, double-blind, controlled, crossover trial in overweight individuals"
Authors: S.A. Chacko, J. Sul, Y. Song, X. Li, J. LeBlanc, Y. You, A. Butch, S. Liu

Science Validates Triglyceride form of Fish Oil to have up to 70% higher absorption than the Ethyl Ester form which is widely available

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:44:00 +1300

Dr. Dryberg and his Danish co-workers report that the availability of omega -3's in the Triglyceride form was significantly higher than omega-3's in the Ethyl ester form, according to new findings published in the form of Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids. The blinded, placebo controlled study involved 72 people aged between 21 and 26.

Participants received a daily supplement of one form of omega 3 - daily doses of EPA plus DHA between 3.1 gm and 3.6gm for two weeks. At the end of the intervention, the researchers report that "the mean relative bioavailability of EPA plus DHA from Ethyl ester was 73% v. 124% for Triglyceride which demonstrates a 70% increased absorption for the triglyceride form over the ethyl ester form.

"Our results demonstrate that bioavailability may differ between the commonly used types of concentrated fish oil preparations. Re-esterified triglycerides have superior bioavailability, whereas ethyl esters may have a lower bioavailability."

Wrote researchers from the University of Copenhagen and Aalborg Hospital.

In fish, the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, occur naturally in triglyceride form. To make a quality fish oil concentrate, the individual fatty acids must first be removed from the glycerol backbone. To stabilize these delicate fatty acids, they are bound to an ethyl alcohol molecule before they undergo molecular distillation to both purify and to increase the amounts of EPA and DHA.

Once the desired concentration is achieved, a manufacturer chooses from two distinctly different options. The first is to reattach the fatty acids to the glycerol backbone in a process known as "re-esterification" to recreate the natural triglyceride structure. The second, far less costly option is to leave the fish oil as an ethyl ester, a "new to nature" form of fatty acid.

According to Nordic Naturals CEO Joar Opheim,

"It is great to see science proving what we at Nordic Naturals have always believed. Our understanding of the body's utilization of ingested omega-3s has always supported our commitment to re-esterified triglycerides as the best form for our concentrated fish oils".

CLINICAL STUDIES ON BIOAVAILABILITY
Previous to the recent study, six human trials have compared the absorption of ethyl ester (EE) and Triglyceride (TG) fish oil supplements. Of the six studies, four concluded that the TG form absorbs better, and the other two studies did not find a significant difference in absorption.

Dietary fish oil is digested in the small intestine by the emulsifying action of bile salts and the hydrolytic activity of pancreatic lipase. The hydrolysis of a triglyceride (TG) molecule produces two free fatty acids (FFA) and a monoglyceride (one fatty acid combined to glycerol). These metabolic products are then absorbed by intestinal enterocytes and reassembled again as TGs. Carrier molecules called chylomicrons then transport the TGs into the lymphatic channel and finally into the blood.

The digestion of EE fish oils is slightly different due to the lack of a glycerol backbone. In the small intestine it is again the pancreatic lipase that hydrolyzes the fatty acids from the ethanol backbone however the fatty acid-ethanol bond is up to 50x more resistant to pancreatic lipase as compared to hydrolysis of TGs. The EEs that get hydrolyzed produce free fatty acids plus ethanol. The FFA's are taken up by the enterocytes and must be reconverted to TGs to be transported in the blood. The TG form of fish oil contains its own monoglyceride substrate, where as EE fish oils, coupled to ethanol, do not. EE must therefore obtain a monoglyceride substrate from another source. Without a glycerol or monoglyceride substrate TG re-synthesis is delayed, suggesting that transport to the blood is more efficient in natural TG fish oils in comparison to EEs. Furthermore, this delay of TG re-synthesis in EE fish oils could cause an increase in free fatty acids and subsequent oxidation of those free fatty acids.

STABILITY OF ETHYL ESTERS V. TRIGLYCERIDES
EPA and DHA are long-chain polyunsaturated fats (PUFA's) which means they contain several double bonds within their carbon-hydrogen chain. In each location of a double bond, there is vulnerability for free radical attack, which results in an oxidised and rancid oil. The inherent structure of three fatty acids attached to one glycerol backbone in the TG form provides protection to the double bonds in the long-chain PUFA's from being exposed to free radicals. An ethyl ester fatty acid, on the other hand, exists as a single strand, and is exposed on all sides to free radicals. This basic biochemistry suggests the superior stability of TG fish oils both inside a capsule or liquid as well as within the body. Ethyl ester fish oils are less stable, and readily oxidize. Resistance to oxidative damage is a critical quality of a fish oil supplement as a fish oil that has been subject to oxidative damage may do more harm than good.

COMPARISION SUMMARY
Although the majority of concentrated fish oil products on the market contain the ethyl ester form of EPA and DHA, current research points toward the triglyceride form for better absorption and assimilation.

Please contact us on if you wish to obtain the complete Technical Paper on "A Comparison of Synthetic Ethyl Ester Form fish oil vs. Natural Triglyceride Form".