Wednesday, October 20, 1999

FISH FATS IMPROVE HEART, MIND, AND IMMUNITY, SAY EXPERTS

BALTIMORE, Md.--Do you want to be healthier, happier, less prone to disease? Serve and eat more fish, say a panel of biomedical experts convened by the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI).

By eating more omega-3 fats--the kind derived from fish and fish oils--Americans would "diminish the development of cardiovascular diseases, psychiatric disorders and probably immune diseases," according to a report released today by the panel, which represents at least 10 leading medical research institutions (see attached list).

A dramatic and potentially unhealthy 30-year shift in American dietary fats, say the experts, has raised concerns by many influential medical scientists across the nation. Americans have been eating historically high levels of omega-6 fats (15 to 20 grams per day), mostly from seed oils, relative to omega-3 fatty acids (about 0.1 grams per day). At one time, however, omega-3 fats were more common in the diet, says the workshop report.

The report is the result of a special workshop, "Essential Fatty Acids in Health Maintenance and Disease Prevention," held June 21 and 22 at UMBI's Center of Marine Biotechnology in Baltimore, Md. COMB is an eminent research facility in aquaculture, marine biology, and water pollution controls. At the start of the workshop, COMB Director Yonathan Zohar noted, "The recommendations of health experts are critical on this topic. Aquaculture can play an important role in meeting society's health needs. Because marine fisheries are dwindling, we can use aquaculture research to breed fish that contain the fatty acids essential to enhancing health."

At the workshop, each expert first offered a summary of recent clinical studies in his or her medical field and assessed how different ratios of dietary omega-3 fats and omega-6 fats may affect health. About 15 additional, invited experts observed and commented on the presentations. The panel then analyzed research results on perhaps 20 diseases and conditions. The report is a consensus of "what can be said that is fair and reasonable on each topic for the public," says panel moderator Stuart Barlow, director general of the International Fish Meal and Oil Manufacturers Association, United Kingdom.

Among the highlights of the panel's findings are:

Heart disease: Supplemental omega-3 fats can reduce all causes of coronary disease death.

Infants can benefit:

Improved mental health:

Immune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis have been reduced with omega-3 fats in trials.

Transplant rejections: Kidney transplant patients, fed fish oil before and after surgery, may reduce rejections. More studies are needed on the molecular actions of both omega-3 and omega-6 fats on tissues to possibly find and prevent "signals of disease processes."

Obesity caution: The panel cautioned that people on low fat diets need to keep some fatty fish in their diets; that is, the essential fatty acids are still needed.

Livestock, meat and milk: Some research shows that the health of farm livestock improves with omega-3 fats in their feeds. Also, higher levels of such fats fed to livestock results in higher omega-3 fat levels in the meat, milk and egg products eaten by humans.

Cancer results preliminary: In cancer studies on laboratory animals, omega-3 fats slowed the progress of disease. More controlled studies of human cancer patients are needed.

October 22, 1999

Addendum to press release,

FISH FATS IMPROVE HEART, MIND, AND IMMUNITY, SAY EXPERTS

Here is the list of the biomedical experts who wrote the report from the workshop, "Essential Fatty Acids in Health Maintenance and Disease Prevention," held at UMBI's Center of Marine Biotechnology in Baltimore, Md.

• Mental health, vision, and neurology of infants: Dennis Hoffman, Retina Foundation of the Southwest, Dallas Texas.
• Mental health, vision, and neurology of adults: Joesph Hibbeln, Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, Md.
• Thrombosis and hypertension: Norberta W. Schoene, Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Md.
• Myocardial arrhythmia /fibrillation and Atherogenesis: Alexander Leaf, Department of medicine, Harvard University, Boston, Mass.
• Rheumatoid arthritis: Joel M. Kremer, Department of Medicine, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY.
• Transplant rejection: Thomas Coffman, Chief of Nephrology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
• Asthma: Jonathan P. Arm, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass.
• Cancer proliferation: Kenneth V. Honn, Department of Radiology, Oncology and Pathology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Mich.
• Triglycerides: James M. Ntambi, Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.
• Farm animal feed and food production: Eric L. Miller, Cambridge University Department of clinical Veterinary Medicine, U.K.

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The workshop was organized by UMBI, National Fish Institute, Omega Protein Company and the National Ocean Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Cooperative Research and Information Institute, affiliated with UMBI, coordinated the participating experts and organizations. Contact CRII for a copy of the report 301.403.0508.