Fish Oils and the Heart

San Clemente, Calif. (June 7, 2011) – Metagenics, Inc., a nutrigenomics and lifestyle medicine company dedicated to reducing chronic illness and improving health, contributed two poster presentations at the National Lipid Association (NLA) 2011 Annual Scientific Sessions in New York, NY, on research demonstrating the effectiveness of omega-3 (fish oil) supplements for heart health and the long-term impact of a lifestyle medicine program.

“Most of today’s chronic illnesses are linked to long-term lifestyle and behavior choices,” said Robert Lerman, M.D., Ph.D., presenter and director of medicine and extramural clinical research for Metagenics, Inc. “Lifestyle medicine and nutrigenomics – the science of how food impacts genetic expression – can reverse these trends. The research presented at the NLA is important because it demonstrates that cardiovascular health improvements made through lifestyle medicine are sustainable over time in a real world setting, and that omega-3 supplementation should be added to a good diet in order to protect heart health.”

The first poster, “Long-term effectiveness of a therapeutic lifestyle change program in clinical practice,” presented findings from three clinical practices demonstrating that patients experienced sustained improvements over a year from entrance into a lifestyle medicine program. Significant improvements were observed in body weight, body mass index (BMI), percent lean body mass, percent fat mass, total cholesterol, LDL (“bad” cholesterol) HDL (“good” cholesterol), non-HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol/HDL ratio, and triglyceride/HDL ratio. After two years, despite limitations due to a smaller sample size, significant improvements were still evident in body weight, BMI, percent lean body mass, percent fat mass, and HDL with favorable trends in other measured risk factors.” Authors of the poster included Robert Lerman, M.D., Metagenics; Kenneth Browning, D.O. private practice in Riverside, California; Donna Landry, P.A. private practice in Olympia, Washington; Daniel Bressler, M.D., private practice in San Diego, California, and Meraf Eyassu, Metagenics.

The patients evaluated in the research study were participants in Metagenics’ FirstLine Therapy® program, which typically incorporates a scientifically-validated medical food, UltraMeal® PLUS 360°, and a Mediterranean-style, low glycemic-load diet, along with exercise and stress reduction. The May/June issue of the Journal of Clinical Lipidology, which was distributed at the NLA conference, reports that a 12 week clinical trial at three universities found that UltraMeal PLUS 360° is almost twice as likely to lower cardiovascular risk factors as one of the best diets alone, and 40 percent more likely to reverse the effects of metabolic syndrome.

The second poster, “Correction of the Omega-3 Index in women with metabolic syndrome by adding omega-3 supplements to a Mediterranean-style diet,” measured the impact of the addition of omega-3 (fish oil) to the Mediterranean-style, low glycemic-load diet. It found that in patients with metabolic syndrome, the addition to this diet of either EPA/DHA 720 or High DHA, two Metagenics’ omega-3 supplements, led to increases in the omega-3 index to cardioprotective levels.

Researchers for this poster include Robert Lerman, M.D., Metagenics; Larry Kaskel, M.D., Deerpath Primary Care in Libertyville, Illinois; Mark McIntosh, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida, Jacksonville, Florida; Wadi Najm, M.D., Department of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, California; Maria Luz Fernandez, Ph.D, Department of Nutritional Services at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut; Elizabeth Baruffi, P.A., Deerpath Primary Care in Libertyville, Illinois; and William Harris, Ph.D., Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

For more information on FirstLine Therapy®, visit www.firstlinetherapy.com; for information on omega-3 supplements, visit www.metagenics.com; and for information on UltraMeal PLUS 360°, visit www.metagenics.com/ump360/.

About Metagenics, Inc.
Metagenics, Inc. (www.metagenics.com) is a nutrigenomics and lifestyle medicine company focused on reversing chronic illness and improving health. Founded in 1983, Metagenics serves more than 75,000 healthcare providers worldwide through premium quality, science-based medical foods, nutritional formulas, and lifestyle therapy programs to help their patients achieve a lifetime of good health. Metagenics’ scientific staff—among the largest in the nutrigenomics industry—has published more than 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has been awarded more than 50 international or domestic patents. The company’s educational arm, Metagenics University, collaborates with renowned medical experts to annually deliver more than 200 events designed to help healthcare professionals stay on the leading edge of lifestyle medicine and incorporate nutrition into their clinical practice.

Metagenics maintains its corporate headquarters in San Clemente, CA; R&D headquarters in Gig Harbor, WA; and operating subsidiaries in Brussels, Belgium and Brisbane, Australia.