Rancid Fish Oil Capsules May Partly Explain Omega-3 and Prostate Cancer Findings, Suggest Co-founders of Omega3 Innovations
Venice, FL (PRWEB) July 15, 2013 -- After Ohio State University published results linking omega-3 to prostate cancer Thursday, July 11, Omega3 Innovations’ co-founders, Drs. Bo Martinsen and Anne-Marie Chalmers, arrived at the office to a flurry of customer questions.
“Obviously, people were very concerned that fish and fish oil supplements could be causing prostate cancer,” said Chalmers. “But we are finding that this study is giving us an opportunity to talk about an issue we’ve dwelt on for years - namely the importance of fresh fish oil.”
The two physicians, who have specialized in producing fresh liquid omega-3 fish oil for the last decade, started sounding the alarm bells about rancid capsules after reading about the potentially adverse effects of consuming oxidized oil two years ago. Since then, the co-founders have written and lectured extensively about rancidity in the omega-3 industry.
“In researching rancidity, we found one Norwegian government-sponsored study that had concluded upwards of 95 percent of the omega-3 supplements on the market contained excessively oxidized oil,” said Martinsen. “Those numbers are especially alarming, since we know rancid oil can have potentially harmful effects.”
The couple points to a series of animal studies indicating that consuming oxidized oil may increase inflammation and promote cancer. While never studied on humans, rancid oil may help explain the results from Ohio State University, say Martinsen and Chalmers, who have written about the matter in their latest blog, “Rancidity: The Link Between Fish, Fish Oil, and Prostate Cancer?”
“If omega-3 itself caused prostate cancer, the disease would be running rampant in countries like Japan, where the population consumes the greatest amount of fish and fish oil supplements in the world,” said Chalmers. “Instead, Japanese men have some of the lowest rates of prostate cancer. Clearly, the issue must be more complicated than whether or not omega-3 is good for your prostate health, and we believe it all comes down to quality.”
Chalmers explains that most fish oil in capsules is derived as a byproduct of the animal feed industry in South America, where the quality of the oil is not the main focus. On the other hand, she says, a few omega-3 fish oil companies do make it their mission to provide fresh, good tasting oil to the public.
Several omega-3 research studies, including a recent review published by the University of Auckland, have voiced the need for better reporting of the oxidation levels of fish oil supplements from manufacturers and researchers alike.
Chalmers and Martinsen could not agree more.
“Rancid fish oil capsules have no place in human nutrition,” says Martinsen. “On the other hand, removing pure, fresh fish and fish oil from the diet would be a health disaster.”
For further questions, please contact:
Bo Martinsen, MD, 941-485-4400 or bo(at)omega3innovations(dot)com
About Omega3 Innovations:
Founded by Bo Martinsen, M.D., and Anne-Marie Chalmers, M.D., – two physicians who have worked with omega-3 fish oil for more than 15 years, the company offers several varieties of Omega Cookies®, as well as Omega Cure® supplements. Each Omega Cookie contains seven capsules worth of omega-3 fish oil, five grams of fiber, 200% of the daily value of vitamin D and 35% of the daily value of calcium. The company was named a winner in the category of innovation at the 2010 annual Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County’s Hall of Fame awards. The honor came as the result of being the first company to create a bakery product that contains an effective dose of omega-3 fish oil.
Bo Martinsen, MD, Omega3 Innovations, http://www.omega3innovations.com, 941 485 4400, [email protected]
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