The shine has come off omega-3 fish oils in recent years.
While the market for fish oils used in farmed fish feeds remains stable, the market for direct human consumption of fish oil has seen years of declining sales, with a market downturn as high as 7 percent year-on-year. Certain markets have even seen demand cut by up to 50 percent year-on-year.
However, there could be light at the end of the tunnel. GOED, the marketing board for omega-3 oils, has forecast that the global market for all uses, including food ingredients and pharmaceutical products, will increase to USD 33 billion (EUR 30 billion) this year. The organization estimated that sales were worth USD 31.4 billion (EUR 28.5 billion) in 2015.
The years of stagnation and declining sales were mainly due to problems over quality. Many fish oils were oxidized or made with poor quality ingredients and so may actually caused health problems instead of solving them, according to media reports.
Mislabelling has also been a problem, with some companies claiming falsely high omega-3 concentrations in their products. Sales have also been affected by conflicting research on the health of omega-3s.
In addition, environmental concerns have mounted and taken a toll, though how badly is difficult to understand. Annual krill catches have averaged 170,000 metric tons during the past decade, whereas the catch limits for krill in areas 48 and 58 of the South Antarctic are 5.6 million metric tons and 3.1 million metric tons respectively. These areas are where virtually all the South Antarctic fishing for krill takes place and the TACs for this region are set by CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources).
Krill oil is considered a more effective health supplement than fish oil when taken in capsule form or used to enrich certain foods, as it binds itself to phospholipids when ingested and is therefore more easily absorbed by human cells (human cells are composed of various layers, which are all connected from the outside or blood stream, to the interior, by phospholipid channels).
Medical experts agree that the typical diet in most countries does not provide enough EPA and DHA to ensure good health ((EPA – eicosapentaenoic acid, and DHA – docosahexaenoic acid – are the long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids found in varying amounts in all marine species. EPA and DHA are usually referred to simply as “omega-3s”.) According to GOED, the human body needs omega-3s “to function properly, not to mention optimally, in every stage of life, beginning long before conception.”
“The vast body of science associated with omega-3s provides the strongest support for maintaining and optimizing heart and brain health,” according to the GOED. “The understanding of omega-3s’ role in infants’ cognitive and visual development led to the fortification of infant formulae on a global basis.”
Other areas of emerging research point to health benefits of omega-3s on cognition (past infancy), inflammatory conditions (for example, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease), allergies and mental health, according to the GOED.
To show that the body needs omega-3s to function properly even at the beginning of life, a trial conducted in Australia demonstrated that inpatient hospital costs could decrease by AUD 92 (USD 66, EUR 60) per singleton pregnancy when DHA supplements were consumed during pregnancy. Cost savings to the Australian hospital system could be between AUD 15 to AUD 51 (USD 11 to USD 37, EUR 10 to EUR 33) million per year.
The study concluded: “Given that a simple intervention like DHA-rich fish oil supplementation could generate savings to the public, it may be worthwhile from a policy perspective to encourage DHA supplementation among pregnant women.”
However, there could be problems with supply. Well-known omega-3 researcher Jørn Dyerberg stated at last month’s GOED conference in Tenerife: “The world supply of omega-3 fatty acids is not adequate for optimal human nutrition and the industry needs to find new sources.”
Algal oil and terrestrial plants modified genetically to produce EPA and DHA could provide for the increased world demand, he said.
