New health benefits research results on folate, xylitol, and krill oil

July 17, 11:21 PMSacramento Nutrition ExaminerAnne Hart

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Scientists in Korea recently have determined that an increased intake of folate in the diet may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in women. According to the study, "Folate intake and the risk of colorectal cancer in a Korean population," published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the chances of getting colorectal cancer decreased by 50% with an increased folate intake. See, the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition advance online publication 24 June 2009; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2009.37. Or read about this amazing study in an article at the Lee Swanson Research Update site.

According to the Lee Swanson Research Update article, "Anal cancer will affect about 5,300 people in the United States this year. On the other hand, more than 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancers (colon cancer and rectal cancer) each year. That number breaks down to about 40,000 cases of rectal cancer and 110,000 cases of colon cancer."

In other news, researchers from the University of Washington report that the use of the sweetener xylitol may reduce the number of cavities in healthy teeth. They found that the use of xylitol by very young children can cut their chances of developing cavities in the future. Read the full article at the Lee Swanson Research Update site.

Krill are shrimp-like crustaceans eaten by blue whale. Krill oil extracted from these crustaceans contains important omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA, fatty acids found in fish oils. Krill oil also has a high amount of a potent antioxidant called astaxanthin along with small amounts of vitamin A and vitamin E, and perhaps small amounts of other undetermined beneficial compounds.

Krill oil won't thin your blood like fish oil does. Scientists studying the importance of omega-3 fatty acids have found in their research that omega-3 fatty acids derived from krill are more effective that those found in fish oil. The study will be published in an upcoming edition of the Journal of Nutrition. For further information, see the article, "Krill Beats Fish Omega-3s in Battling Metabolic Dysfunctions,"

According to the Journal of Nutrition's article (published online head of of the print edition at the Lee Swanson Research Update site), omega 3 fatty acids that come from krill (a shrimp-like marine animal) are more effective than those from fish oil in combating some metabolic symptoms, including raised fat levels in the heart and liver and violent mood swings in obese individuals.

Italian researchers did the original study conducted with rats. The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, concludes that "while both fish-sourced and krill-sourced omega-3 oils are effective in reducing fat levels, krill is more effective."

The researchers, led by Barbara Batetta, said "the mechanisms of why this was the case had not been made clear in the study, but suggested long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) may reduce activity in the endocannabinoid system."

The article also reports, "Such a nutritional approach, if influencing the endocannabinoid system only peripherally, might avoid the adverse psychiatric effects associated with the use of CB1 antagonists, thus potentially providing a safer alternative for ‘endocannabinoid re-equilibration’ in obese individuals."

In less technical language, this means the researchers found that, "when parameters associated with obesity were considered, krill oil reduced heart fat levels by 42%, compared to two percent for fish oils.
In the liver, a 60% reduction was observed for krill, 38% for fish oil. Fat build up in the liver can lead to insulin insensitivity and cause type 2 diabetes."

The study was done rats supplemented with either fish or krill oil. Interestingly, the exact mechanism for change could not be isolated. 

The 18 four-week-old Zucker rats were fed either a diet of krill oil or fish oil balanced for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The control group was given a diet containing no EPA and DHA but similar contents of oleic, linoleic and a-linolenic acids.

The dosage level was set at two grams of DHA/EPA per day. For further information, see the full article at the Lee Swanson Research update site or read the print version of the article when it is published in the Journal of Nutrition in the near future.

If you buy krill oil, make sure you buy solvent-free extract. Read more about krill oil, benefits and side effects at the Dr. Ray Sahelian site. Sahelian notes, "A few studies have been done with krill oil which demonstrate it to have potential benefit in maintaining healthy cholesterol and also to play a role in premenstrual syndrome and menstrual cramps."

"More research with krill oil is needed before determining with confidence the role of these supplements in health and disease. We also need to see more research to determine if krill oil supplements offer any advantages over fish oil supplements. Until head to head comparisons are done with krill oil supplements versus fish oil supplements, it would be premature to claim that krill oil is better than fish oil, or vice versa."

" One option is to alternate the use of krill oil and fish oil, or to take one or two softgels of each daily. Be careful trusting web sites that claim one form of krill oil from one company is better than another form. There are many web sites that claim their krill oil is the best, and as you probably know by now, this is a common occurrence in the vitamin industry. Until head to head comparative studies are done with various different brands on humans, no one can say with certainty that a krill oil product from one company is superior to another krill oil product from a different company."

Before you take krill oil, find out whether you're allergic to shell fish. Dr. Sahelian's site reports information on krill oil oil allergy in those who are allergic to shellfish. Sahelian writes, "As of December 2008, I don't know for certain whether those with shellfish allergy would be able to take krill oil supplements. Just to be on the safe side, it may be a good idea to avoid krill oil pills until more research is available on this topic. I have not yet come across clinical studies regarding allergic reactions to krill oil consumption. There is a possibility that miniscule amounts of shellfish residues could be present in some products."

You might want to read the article (PDF file) based on a study, "Reactivity of Shrimp Allergy-Related IgE Antibodies to Krill Tropomyosin." Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2007 Oct 2;145(3). Nakano S, Yoshinuma T, Yamada T. Food Safety Research Institute, Nissin Food Products, Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan.

Accordian to the Dr.Sahelian site, "Krill, which morphologically resembles small shrimp, represents small ocean crustaceans and has been used for human consumption in Japan and some other countries. The major allergen in crustaceans has been reported to be tropomyosin, but the allergenicity of krill tropomyosin remains uncertain. Amino acid sequences of tropomyosin in two species of krill (Euphausia superba and E. pacifica) were deduced."

Also read the article, "Combining Fish Oil Supplements and Aerobic Exercise Lowers Cardiovascular Disease Chances," See: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 85(5):1267-1274, 2007.
Scientists found that "regular exercise and consuming long-chain omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) from fish or fish oil can independently improve cardiovascular and metabolic health, but combining these lifestyle modifications can be more effective than either treatment alone, according to that study.

Researchers in Australia studied the individual and combined effects of omega-3 supplements and regular exercise on body composition and cardiovascular health. "Overweight volunteers with high blood pressure, cholesterol or triacylglycerols were randomly assigned to one of the following interventions: fish oil (FO), fish oil and exercise (FOX), sunflower oil (SO), or sunflower oil and exercise (SOX)."

Subjects consumed six grams of tuna fish oil or six grams of  sunflower oil per day. The exercise groups walked three days per week for 45 minutes at 75% age-predicted maximal heart rate. Plasma lipids, blood pressure and arterial function were assessed at 0, 6 and 12 weeks. Body composition was assessed at 0 and 12 weeks.

"Researchers found that Fish oil supplementation lowered triglycerides, increased HDL cholesterol and improved endothelium-dependent arterial vasodilation. Exercise improved arterial compliance. Both fish oil and exercise independently reduced body fat."

The study concluded: "Fish oil supplements and regular exercise both reduce body fat and improve cardiovascular and metabolic health. Increasing intake of omega-3 EFAs could be a useful adjunct to exercise programs aimed at improving body composition and decreasing cardiovascular disease risk."

Photo credits: Flickr.com.