30-08-2021
Press release: Omega-3 fatty acids in the Smartfish emulsion is safe and tolerable among children in remission from cancer of doses up to 3448 mg/m2
OSLO, NORWAY AND LUND, SWEDEN, AUGUST 30, 2021
Professor Kogner, MD, and colleagues have published an omega-3 fatty acids dose-finding study based on body surface area (BSA) among children in remission from cancer. The study was conducted at the outpatient clinic of the Pediatric Oncology Unit, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Using the fatty acid composition in the Smartfish emulsion, the researchers found that the omega-3 dose strongly correlated with blood omega-3 concentrations when adjusting for BSA. Furthermore, professor Kogner, MD, and colleagues reported that supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids up to 3448 mg/m2 BSA is safe and tolerable in children after completed cancer therapy.
Omega-3 fatty acids as a complement in cancer treatment have received increased attention among scientists and clinicians due to their anti-cancer properties. However, the optimal dose, particularly in children, have been a topic of discussion. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to find a dose that increases the omega-3 proportions without significantly changing the balance to other important fatty acids or affecting safety and tolerability.
The study was conducted at the outpatient clinic of the Pediatric Oncology Unit, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. A total of 33 children in the ages of 3-16 years were enrolled in the study. Participants received increasing doses of daily omega-3 supplements in a Smartfish emulsion for 90 days. Both children and caregivers were blinded to the amount prescribed. Blood tests were drawn and analyzed at baseline, on day 45, and on day 90.
The results from the study showed that the median adherence to the supplementation was 96%. Additionally, no severe adverse events were reported among the participants showing that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids up to 3448 mg/m2 BSA daily for 90 days was safe and tolerable. Furthermore, supplementation strongly correlated with blood omega-3 fatty acid concentrations with EPA showing the highest increase despite the administration of higher doses of DHA (40:60). Regarding the optimal dosage, there was an initial exponential decrease in the balance of the omega-6 to the omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids with an inflection point at about 1500 mg/m2. Data did not show a beneficial effect of using doses beyond this amount suggesting an optimal dose of 1500 mg/m2 BSA.
“This study gives important data about the optimal dose of omega-3 fatty acids for patients as well as for future research. It is also encouraging to see that the Smartfish emulsion is highly accepted by the patient group of children and safe to consume”, comments Geir Harstad, CEO of Smartfish.
The study Body surface area-based omega-3 fatty acids supplementation strongly correlates to blood concentrations in children - PubMed (nih.gov) was recently published online in the journal of Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids (PLEFA).
About Smartfish AS
Smartfish AS is active within research, development, production and marketing of advanced clinically documented nutritional drinks in the field of medical nutrition and sports nutrition. All Smartfish products are produced on its proprietary juice-based emulsion technology platform with the marine DHA and EPA fatty acids as important ingredients. The products are mainly sold through recognized international partners and distributors. Smartfish has a number of ongoing clinical development projects and studies in close collaboration with researchers and institutions both in Norway and internationally.
The company was founded in 2001 and is located in Oslo, Norway and Lund, Sweden. Smartfish’s main shareholders are Investinor (Norway) and Industrifonden (Sweden). Learn more on https://www.smartfishnutrition.com.
For more information, please contact:
Johan Olsson, Head of R&D of Smartfish, Phone: +46 732 032 804
Geir Harstad, CEO of Smartfish, Phone: + 46 763151160
