Fish Oil studies analyzed, confirm that Omega-3 fatty acids still matter

Literally hundreds of clinical trials, including some that have gained widespread attention, have been done on the possible benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for the prevention of heart disease - producing conflicting results, varied claims, and frustrated consumers unsure what to believe.

A recent analysis done by scientists in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, published in the Journal of Lipid Research, has sorted through many of these competing findings, and it helps to explain why so many of the studies seem to arrive at differing conclusions.

The review concludes that both fish consumption and dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplements may still help prevent heart disease; that some fatty acids, from certain sources, are more effective than others; that these compounds may have enormous value for serious health problems other than heart disease; and that the very effectiveness of modern drug therapies for heart disease may be one explanation for the conflicting findings on the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.

"After decades of studying omega-3 fatty acids, it's clear that they have value in primary prevention of heart disease," said Donald Jump, author of the analysis, a principal investigator in the Linus Pauling Institute, and professor in the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences.

"It's less clear how much impact fish oils have in preventing further cardiovascular events in people who already have heart disease," Jump said. "The studies done several decades ago showed value even for that patient population, but the more recent studies are less conclusive. We believe that one explanation is the effectiveness of current state-of-the-art treatments now being offered."

Some of the earliest work that raised interest in omega-3 fatty acids was done in the 1970s with Greenland Inuits, who ate large amounts of fish and were found to have unusually low levels of cardiovascular disease. But, Jump said, millions of people now at risk for cardiovascular disease take medications such as statin drugs for high cholesterol; fibrates for high triglycerides; anti-thrombotics to thin their blood; and other drugs with anti-inflammatory or anti-arrhythmia effects.

Fish oils can have positive effects on virtually all of these same cardiovascular risk factors, Jump said, but so can the drugs.

"Some of the early studies done on fish oil were prior to so many effective medications being widely available and heavily used," Jump said. "And people often forget that nutrients, like fish oils, are less potent than prescription drugs, and often have their best value when used for extended periods.

"When so many people in these studies are taking a regimen of medications to address the same issues that fish oil might also affect, it's easy to understand why any added benefit from the fish oils is more difficult to detect," he said.

The point, Jump said, is not that omega-3 fatty acids have no value - they do. But for studies of their value in cardiovascular disease, which are often done when patients are taking other medications, that value is less clear.

A wide body of other research, he says, makes it clear that omega-3 fatty acids also have health benefits that go beyond cardiovascular disease. They have been shown to improve visual acuity; improve cognitive function and reduce dementia; reduce inflammation and perhaps some types of cancer, such as colon cancer; and reduce total mortality.

Among the findings of this review:
  • An important type of omega-3 fatty acid for human health is DHA, which is the predominant omega-3 fatty acid that accumulates in tissues.
  • Plant-derived sources of these fatty acids, such as flaxseed oil or chia seeds, have less benefit than those from cold-water fish, because of differences in how the human body processes these nutrients.
  • For individuals unwilling or unable to consume fish or fish-oil supplements, some products made from yeast or algae are high quality.
  • It's difficult to be certain of the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in farm-raised fish, since these fish require dietary omega-3 supplementation.
"We still believe the evidence is strong that the EPA and DHA content in heart tissues and blood is important to health and to the prevention of cardiovascular disease," Jump said. "To meet the current recommendations for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, individuals are advised to consume 200-300 milligrams of combined EPA and DHA per day."

Men Who Exercise Have Fast Swim Sperm

Men who are hoping to have children in the future would do well to get to the gym, after a study found exercise could help their sperm to swim faster.

Researchers found men who worked out more had faster swimming sperm that was better formed, compared to their sedentary peers.
They suggest that exercise promotes healthy hormone levels that create a better environment in the testes for sperm production.

The findings, are important because semen quality has dropped overall in the last 50 years. Many factors have been blamed including drinking, smoking, and the rising levels of obesity.

The team assessed whether there was any difference in the hormonal levels and semen quality of men who were physically active compared to those who weren’t.

They looked at factors including sperm count and mobility and analysed hormones including testosterone, cortisol and the follicle-stimulating hormone.
The results concluded physically active subjects display better semen values.

Signs of super sperm
Men usually release 1.5ml of semen after three to five days of abstinence.
Semen is normally an opalescent, slightly yellow colour and pH value should be above 7.1
Under normal conditions semen stays liquefied for a total of an hour after ejaculation.
A healthy man releases around 15million sperm for each millilitre of semen.

Research leader Diana Vaamonde, said, “Despite the fact that the sample population is not very big (31 men), given the complexity of the analysis, this is the first study that assessed the differences between these parameters in both populations.

“Despite that fact that more studies are needed to confirm these findings, we can suggest exercise to improve the hormonal environment and stimulate the sperm process.”

However, it may be true that doing too much exercise could have a counter-productive effect.

In 2010 Vaamonde published a study showing that the sperm parameters of elite sportsmen are worse than men who are just physically active. It is possible that the increased strain of training causes a decline in sperm quality. 

75% of patients taking popular Blood-Thinners are given wrong dose

Cardiology researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute have found that approximately 75 percent of patients taking two common blood-thinning drugs may be receiving the wrong dosage levels, according to a new study.

This could put them at risk for serious problems like uncontrolled bleeding or developing blood clots.

Millions of Americans with coronary artery disease take one of the two drugs - clopidogrel (Plavix) and prasugrel (Effient) - to prevent harmful blood clots that can cause a stroke or heart attack. Current guidelines recommend that all patients take the same standardized dose. But in this new study of 521 patients, researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute found that dose is not effective for all patients.

"There's a sweet spot, an appropriate range for each patient. But we found that not many people are falling into that range," said cardiologist Brent Muhlestein, MD, a cardiac researcher at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute.

Dr. Muhlestein is presenting the group's findings on Nov. 6 at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2012 in Los Angeles.

"We showed that by performing a simple blood test to see whether or not the blood is clotting properly, we can determine whether patients are getting an appropriate, individualized dose of the medications," he says. "The test is easy to perform, but not widely used."

The Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute study could help lead to personalized treatment and improved results for millions of people taking the drugs. It may also help cut pharmacy bills for many patients. The annual cost for one of the medications is more than $1,800. Finding the lowest effective dose for those patients could conceivably cut their bill in half. Major findings of the study show that:
  • Half of patients taking clopidogrel were getting too little of the drug to prevent clotting most effectively. A quarter were getting too much. Only a quarter were getting an accurate dose.
  • Half of patients taking prasugrel are getting too much of the drug, which could lead to dangerous bleeding. A quarter were getting too little. Only a quarter are getting the appropriate dose.
The researchers also discovered that common indicators like age, gender, cholesterol levels, and history of heart problems were not good predictors for how a person would react to the drugs.

"That means there's not an easy way to predict how a person will react to these drugs. But the blood test is very effective," said Dr. Muhlestein. "In fact, a physician could have the test machine on his or her desk and perform the test right there in the office."

How Anti Aging Cosmetics Work

A team of investigators from UC Davis and Peking University have discovered a mechanism that may explain how alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs) -- the key ingredient in cosmetic chemical peels and wrinkle-reducing creams - work to enhance skin appearance. An understanding of the underlying process may lead to better cosmetic formulations as well as have medical applications.

The findings were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry in an article entitled "Intracellular proton-mediated activation of TRPV3 channels accounts for exfoliation effect of alpha hydroxyl acids on keratinocytes."

AHAs are a group of weak acids typically derived from natural sources such as sugar cane, sour milk, apples and citrus that are well known in the cosmetics industry for their ability to enhance the appearance and texture of skin. Before this research, little was known about how AHAs actually caused skin to flake off and expose fresh, underlying skin.

The cellular pathway the research team studied focuses on an ion channel -- known as transient receptor potential vanilloid 3 (TRPV3) -- located in the cell membrane of keratinocytes, the predominant cell type in the outer layer of skin. The channel is known from other studies to play an important role in normal skin physiology and temperature sensitivity.

In a series of experiments that involved recording electrical currents across cultured cells exposed to AHAs, the investigators developed a model that describes how glycolic acid (the smallest and most biologically available AHA) enters into keratinocytes and generates free protons, creating acidic conditions within the cell. The low pH strongly activates the TRPV3 ion channel, opening it and allowing calcium ions to flow into the cell. Because more protons also enter through the open TRPV3 channel, the process feeds on itself. The resulting calcium ion overload in the cell leads to its death and skin exfoliation.

"Our experiments are the first to show that the TRPV3 ion channel is likely to be the target of the most effective skin enhancer in the cosmetics industry," said Jie Zheng, professor of physiology and membrane biology at UC Davis and one of the principal investigators of the study. "Although AHAs have been used for years, no one until now understood their likely mechanism of action."

Besides being found in skin cells, TRPV3 also is found in cells in many areas of the nervous system and is sensitive to temperature as well as acidity. The authors speculate that the channel may have a variety of important physiological functions, including pain control.

Lead author Xu Cao, who conducted the study with UC Davis scientists as a visiting student from Peking University Health Science Center, focuses on TRPV3 channel research. With a team of researchers in China, he recently contributed to the discovery that a mutation in TRPV3 leads to Olmsted syndrome, a rare congenital disorder characterized by severe itching and horny skin development over the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. While in the UC Davis Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, Cao discovered that AHAs also utilize the TRPV3 channel.

"Calcium channels are becoming increasingly recognized as having vital functions in skin physiology," said Cao. "TRPV3 has the potential to become an important target not only for the cosmetics industry but for analgesia and treating skin disease."