Nutritionists used to tell us fat was a four-letter word when it came to health. With nine calories per gram (compared to protein’s and carbohydrate’s four calories per gram), fat was seen as the evil behind weight gain, heart disease and diabetes. Product manufacturers answered by releasing fat-free yogurt, low-fat cookies and lean cuts of meat.
Who knew only a decade later we would find out how important fat is for our health; so important that it’s “essential.” And, fat is a lot more intricate than just “good vs. evil.” Fats can be saturated or unsaturated. Unsaturated fats can be broken down into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, and trans fats are considered saturated. To add to the complexity, many foods and oils contain more than one type of fat.
Omega fatty acids commonly make their appearance in the -3, -6 and -9 varieties, although omega-9s are not considered essential because the body can produce them on its own. Omega-6 fats and omega-3 fats are essential polyunsaturated fatty acids; however, many experts agree Westerners consume too much omega-6s, found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, soft margarine and wheat germ, but don’t get enough omega-3 fats, available in flaxseeds, walnuts and fish. This imbalance may increase the risk of cancer, obesity, heart disease and arthritis. Therefore, many of the growing number of health-conscious consumers are looking to add more omega-3s to their diets with supplements and fortified foods.
The interest in omega-3 ingredients has exploded in the past several years, creating a major market. “It is widely known that omega-3 supplementation now matches multivitamins in popularity and importance in health maintenance, so it’s no surprise that more manufacturers than ever are creating more omega-3-enriched products,” said Andreas Koch, marketing director, Barlean’s. Consumers are so gung ho on omega-3s because of their health benefits, Koch continued. “Mountains of research points to the ‘essential’ in essential fatty acids. Practitioners, leading health authorities, educators and the media are driving this interest.”
Consumers are looking to get omega-3s in many forms, according to Mary Ann Siciliano, national sales manager, Arista Industries Inc. “The original interest in omega-3s was primarily as a supplement, but as functional foods and healthy alternatives have become very popular and of great interest, product manufacturer interest in natural omega-3s has grown tremendously,” she said. “This interest is greatly driven by the multitude of benefits of omega-3s, which include heart health, immune function, brain health and healthy child development, as well as being useful in the treatment of various diseases, including, but not limited to, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), arthritis, circulatory problems, depression and cancer.”
Indeed, omega-3s have shown to be beneficial to the heart,1,2,3 the eyes,4,5 the treatment of depression and mood,6,7 brain health,8,9 the joints,10,11,12 child development,13 ADHD,14,15 anti-aging,16 cancer17 and oral health.18
Sam Wright, president and CEO, The Wright Group, said the key health benefits of omega-3s are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in cardiovascular health and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in brain development and cognitive health. Of course, the benefits go beyond that, he said. With more than 17,000 papers published in this field (1,400 in 2009 alone), “omega-3 has clearly become a star in the ingredient space,” he said.
However, Wright cautioned omega-3 claims can become too much of a good thing. “These benefits are easy to understand, easy to communicate and resonate with a growing proportion of the U.S. consumer base,” he said. “One of the marketing challenges with omega-3s is resisting the temptation to say too much about the products’ growing list of benefits. In an effort to differentiate, marketers lose focus on the benefits consumers care most about, and run the risk of positioning omega-3s as a cure all. In marketing, if you stand for too much, you end up standing for nothing.”
Still, even with so many reasons to take omega-3s, thousands are deficient. An April 2009 study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found omega-3-deficient diets cause an estimated 63,000 to 97,000 preventable deaths annually in the United States alone.19
Consumers may be deficient because they have little guidance on how much omega-3 they should take. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) does not have clear dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for EPA and DHA. Late last year, The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) and a consortium of eight scientific, trade and consumer advocacy organizations filed a petition with the IOM asking the organization to convene an expert panel to establish DRIs. They argued until DRIs are established, both policy makers and consumers have no way of knowing what the target intakes should be, and by how much they're falling short.
Perhaps allowing more leniency when it comes to omega-3 health claims would permit consumers to better understand their benefits and, thus, increase their consumption. “The massive body of research shows an almost embarrassingly large number of health benefits for those who have diets rich in omega-3 fats, yet presently (since 2004) FDA only permits a qualified health claim that omega-3 fatty acids ‘may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease,’” said Bruce A. Miller, Jr., executive vice president of Marine Nutriceutical Corp. “As an industry, we are pushing for and hopeful that we will receive the right to an unqualified health claim from FDA in the not-too-distant future.”
