USA
American Heart Association issues advisory omega-3s for hypertriglyceridemia management
A new scientific advisory by the American Heart Association may bolster the overall recognition and scientific backing of omega-3s among the physician community, said William Harris, PhD, is a professor at the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota, co-developer of the Omega3 Index, and co-author of the science advisory, which was published in the journal Circulation titled “Omega-3 Fatty Acids for the Management of Hypertriglyceridemia”.
While the advisory is for dosages well in excess of what most supplement users are willing to take or to pay for – 4 grams of omega-3s a day – the action of these molecules is the same whether they were put on the market by a drug company or a dietary supplement formulator.
While Dr Harris emphasized that the paper makes clear the difference between drugs and supplements, he also resisted moves to try to add in disparaging language toward dietary supplements.
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Europe
Poland sets vitamin and mineral limits
In response to a lack of European harmonization Poland’s Ministry of Health has established maximum intake values for vitamin and minerals for its populations.
Poland has set a maximum vitamin D level of 2,000 International Units (IU) or 50 micrograms (μg) per day for adults.
For vitamin C, the maximum level is 1,000 mg per day for adults, while for vitamin A, a maximum intake level of 800μg of retinol equivalent (RE) per day for adults) is advised with a maximum 7mg per day set for beta-carotene.
The country’s actions follow similar moves by Ireland and The Netherlands, which notified the EU of their intentions to set maximum safety levels for vitamins and minerals. Germany and Norway are also amending existing regulations on vitamin and mineral addition to food and supplements.
“We believe that all these national initiatives clearly demonstrate the lack of involvement by the European Commission in establishing a general regulatory framework that achieves full harmonization,” says Spain’s Association of Dietary and Food Supplement Companies (Afepadi)
The Authority also deem a niacin (niacinamide) level of 830 mg per day to be safe and for nicotinic acid, a maximum level is set at 16mg per day for adults.
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USA
Tomato nutrient complex may help control blood pressure
A new study from Israel’s Lycored indicated that the company’s tomato nutrient complex may lower blood pressure in untreated hypertensive people, while synthetic lycopene alone had no effect.
Data published in Nutrients indicated that eight weeks of consuming a tomato nutrient complex containing 15 mg of lycopene led to average decreases in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 10 mmHg and 5 mmHg, respectively.
On the other hand, no changes to blood pressure were observed at lower doses of the tomato nutrient complex, or for 15 mg of synthetic lycopene, or for placebo, reported scientists from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Lycored.
“This study provides tangible evidence supporting the dose of tomato phytonutrients, and specifically of lycopene, that we recommend to deliver benefits for cardio-metabolic health. These results are only part of a full program examining the bioavailability and efficacy of tomato phytonutrients,” said Dr Karin Hermoni, head of science and nutrition at Lycored.
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