Heart Health

In Cyvex Nutrition’s newest Vine newsletter, the company highlights a lesser-known omega-3 fatty acid, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and its newest weight management ingredient, SolaThin.

A combination of Pycnogenol and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) appears to improve blood pressure and heart and respiratory rates, according to research published in the journal Panminerva Medica.

Following the Israeli Health Ministry’s recommendation of omega-3 fatty acids and phytosterols for cardiovascular health, dietary supplement marketer Ta’am Teva Altman has launched No-Sterol, a supplement formulated by Soft Gel Technologies.

A meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Nutrition suggests that omega-3’s could influence heart health by reducing stiffness of the arteries.

The agency’s has weighed in on 536 new claims.

"Therefore, dietary supplementation of DHA in food is an effective method for reducing the risk of CHD in people who do not frequently eat fish,” the researchers stated.

Two scientific posters by Metagenics Inc. suggest that nutritional supplementation can improve on the benefits of a Mediterranean diet.

In a new review of eight studies published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers say that a 250-mg dose of omega-3 fatty acids can help lower the risk of fatal coronary heart disease.

Benolea EFLA 943 olive leaf extract was shown to be as effective as the hypertension drug Captopril in lowering blood pressure.

The study was stopped because the niacin treatment allegedly did not reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and stroke.

Researchers took blood pressure readings from more than 14,000 men and women between the ages of 24 and 32.

The extract is now undergoing preliminary clinical trials at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, UK.

The study found that participants who consumed double-strength cranberry juice cocktail experienced “significant reduction” in arterial stiffness.

Can dairy play a role?

Carotech Inc. (Edison, NJ) has announced the results of a new study linking its tocopherol-tocotrienol complex to significant reductions in total and bad cholesterol levels.

The pine-derived phytosterols are the result of a new partnership between Danisco (Copenhagen) and Arbois (Savannah, GA).

Thanks to its newly improved SymTrap extraction technology, functional ingredient supplier Symrise AG (Holzminden, Germany) is now launching Actiplants, a portfolio of bioactive ingredients from natural extracts which the company says are extracted through a highly effective and energy-saving method.

A line of CocoaWell cocoa supplements from Reserveage Organics (Gainesville, FL) was among the 11 brands chosen by Natural Foods Merchandiser to receive its “Editor’s Choice” award at the March 2010 Natural Products Expo West trade show.

The researchers concluded that the supplement did not affect heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, or mean arterial pressure.

CRN’s says that phytosterol-powdered dietary supplements should be exempt from FDA's December 2010 ruling.

Enzymotec Ltd. has signed a long term deal to supply krill oil to Lupin Ltd. (Mumbai, India), a leading pharmaceutical company focusing on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, bacterial infections, and cardiovascular disease.

The New Zealand-based company is gearing up for industrial production of pharmaceutical-grade algal omega-3.

Pharmaceutical company Amarin Corp. (Mystic, CN) will present data from its MARINE trial, a Phase III study investigating omega-3 drug AMR101 as a treatment for very high triglycerides.

The study’s authors also concluded that an analysis of full-fat dairy products, including cheese, indicated neither an increased risk nor a decreased risk of elevated blood pressure.

Danisco (Copenhagen) has signed a long-term agreement with Arboris (Savannah, GA), the world’s largest producer of pine-derived phytosterols, to market Arboris’s phytosterols.