October 9, 2012 — These ingredients have unrivaled backing in the form of scientific studies vouchsafing their benefits in cardiovascular health, in fighting inflammation and in infant nutrition. In addition, consumer awareness of omega-3s now has reached a level where it feeds upon itself word-of-mouth style. Even consumers who are only vaguely aware of the specific scientific data know that omega-3s are good for them and should be part of their supplementation plan.
Even as this awareness of omega-3s reaches something approaching critical mass, the overall market appears to reaching maturity. While sales remain robust, growth has backed off to the strong single-digit arena. Countering this trend is very strong growth in individual supply sectors, like krill. And adding more fuel to the fire are new omega-3s supply sources set to come on the market in the near future in the form of new photosynthetic algae technologies and a soy-based ingredient from Monsanto that has huge potential in the functional foods arena.
“The market globally is $1.67 billion to $1.86 billion in 2011,” said Christopher Shanahan, omega-3s analyst with Frost and Sullivan. “2012 is the year when the global market is going to pass $2 billion, so it’s a big achievement for the industry.”
Supported by strong science and by an effective and visible trade organization, these ingredients have now achieved an enviable position; awareness of omega-3s has advanced to the point that consumers are now choosing the ingredients based on a general good-for-you association without having to make health claims or associations on labels, in much the same way vitamin content can be mentioned.
And they are more studied than any other nutrient—or pharmaceutical. More than 20,000 scientific papers have been published on the benefits of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) omega-3s—including more than 2,000 randomized, controlled trials in humans—making them beloved among consumers and health-care professionals alike.
These facts are nothing but good news for omega-3 ingredient and end-product manufacturers, particularly in light of the yawning gap between the average person’s intake levels, and what those levels probably should be.
“For heart disease, the intake I recommend for the general population without known disease is about 500 mg of EPA and DHA a day combined in roughly equal proportions. If there is 40 percent EPA and 60 percent DHA or the reverse—as far as we know it doesn’t make any difference,” said omega-3s expert William S. Harris, PhD, of the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota. Harris is also the inventor of the baseline measure called the Omega-3 Index, a test for which he offers through his firm OmegaQuant Analytics. “The Japanese eat about a gram a day. The typical American intake is like 150 mg a day. So going from 150 up to 500 is a big step. Going up to 1,000 is huge step, so I’m trying to be a little bit realistic. And there is good data that 500 mg a day reduces risk of cardiac events.”
Read the full story on New Hope 360