Omega-3 is a type of fatty acid found in oily fish such as salmon, or in plant sources such as flaxseed or canola oil. Its consumption has been widely recommended as a means of preventing heart disease.

The bad news is that it doesn’t, according to a study by the University of East Anglia which reviewed the results of 79 trials involving 112,059 people. Researchers concluded that the rate of death among those taking omega-3 supplements was 8.8 per cent, virtually identical to nine per cent in control groups.

“They also found that taking more long-chain omega-3 fats… primarily through supplements probably makes little or no difference to risk of cardiovascular events, coronary heart deaths, coronary heart disease events, stroke or heart irregularities,” said a university release.

But the good news is that omega-3 supplements help keep kids — and their parents — out of trouble, said a release from the University of Massachusetts.

Giving children omega-3 fatty acid supplements reduces disruptive behaviour, which in turn had a positive effect on their parents, making them less likely to argue with each other and engage in other verbal abuse, said Jill Portnoy, an assistant professor in the university’s Lowell’s School of Criminology and Justice Studies.

“This is a promising line of research because omega-3 fatty acids are thought to improve brain health in children and adults. There is more to be learned about the benefits, but if we can improve people’s brain health and behaviour in the process, that’s a really big plus,” said Portnoy in a release.

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That’s the question researchers from the University of Guelph have been trying to answer when looking at the cancer-prevention qualities of various sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

David Ma, a professor in the university’s department of human health and nutritional sciences, says so far fish is coming out on top. His work has shown the marine-based sources are eight times better at inhibiting tumour development and growth.

“This study is the first to compare the cancer-fighting potency of plant- versus marine-derived omega-3s on breast tumour development,” Ma said.

There are three types of omega-3 fatty acids: a-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA is plant based and found in such edible seeds as flaxseed and in oils, such as soy, canola and hemp oil. EPA and DHA are found in marine life.

Published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, the study involved feeding the different types of omega-3s to mice with a highly aggressive form of human breast cancer called HER-2. HER-2 affects 25 per cent of women and has a poor prognosis.

Ma exposed the mice to either the plant-based or the marine-based omega-3s, beginning in utero.

“The mice were exposed to the different omega-3s even before tumours developed, which allowed us to compare how effective the fatty acids are at prevention,” said Ma.

Ma found overall exposure to marine-based omega-3s reduced the size of the tumours by 60 to 70 per cent and the number of tumours by 30 per cent.

However, far higher doses of the plant-based fatty acid were required to deliver the same impact.

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“The interesting thing about camelina from an agronomic point of view is that it is a low-input crop. If you compare it to something like canola, where the seed cost can be $40 to $50 an acre, camelina seed cost is below $20 an acre,” said Jack Grushcow, founder and CEO of Smart Earth Seeds, which has been working with camelina for more than 10 years.

“Producers have a lot of acres to plant and have to lay out a lot of cash every year. If they complement even 10 per cent of their regular production into camelina, it just reduces overall expense.”

A member of the Brassicaceae family, camelina is also known as false flax or German sesame and is similar to canola. It grows to 90 cm tall with branched smooth or hairy wood stems and five- to eight-centimetre-long arrow-shaped leaves.

• More on the Manitoba Co-operator: Aquaculture could be a big market for camelina

Camelina originated in Europe and was first grown in Canada in 1863. Agriculture Canada scientists began researching the crop in Saskatchewan in 1999, and continue to develop new lines.

Camelina has excellent yield potential over an 85- to 100-day season and grows well in cool temperatures.

“Its season is 10 days shorter than canola, which means it can be grown farther north than a typical canola crop and you can combine it earlier, avoiding frost,” Grushcow said.

Camelina requires less moisture than canola and is resistant to blackleg and some strains to downy mildew.

“It is also resistant to many of the pests and diseases that bother canola like flea beetles and alternaria. We have had crops where canola has grown beside camelina and flea beetles pretty much wiped out the canola but hasn’t touched the camelina,” Grushcow said.

Camelina is also shatter resistant, matures relatively early and tolerates heat and drought.

Market is uncertain

Despite its agronomic advantages, camelina has never taken off due to limited demand.

“Camelina is one of those crops that we don’t have a huge marketplace for yet but I believe there is some interest growing. Other areas of the world are interested in us growing it as we have the right climate for it, but we are still examining compatible varieties,” said Lionel Kaskiw, production adviser with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. “There has been some research done in Manitoba, but the majority of the acres in Canada is being grown in Saskatchewan right now.”

Camelina has so far been used mainly in bio-based products, including biolubricants. However, in 2010, Health Canada approved camelina oil for sale as human food. It is high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have well-established health benefits.

“Camelina has one really important thing going for it and that is the omega-3 content, which is about 40 per cent of the total fatty acid. Compared to soybean oil, which is very minimal, less than five per cent — this is similar to canola as well,” said Stefanie Hixson, post-doctoral fellow with the department of chemistry and biology at Ryerson University.

There is a growing demand for products high in omega-3. According to the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids, daily intake of 500 mg of omega-3 is recommended for optimal cardiovascular health. A world population of seven billion would amount to an annual requirement of more than 1.25 million tonnes.

Feed supplementation

Part of that demand could be supplied by meat with its omega-3 content boosted by camelina in the feed.

“Meal in broiler chicken feed was approved by CFIA last November, which is a huge step forward for us. The other factor is now that we are working with CFIA to get other livestock approved,” Grushcow said.

A study at the University of Alberta found that feeding higher amounts of camelina meal to broiler chickens produced breast and thigh meat that was two to four times higher in omega-3.

CFIA is currently considering including the meal in layer feed. Camelina meal has also been approved for animal rations in the U.S. for all species. Industry members believe it will eventually be approved for all species in Canada and have high hopes for its potential use in the aquaculture and pet food industries.

Production and marketing challenges

Grushcow said production challenges include the lack of a registered broadleaf herbicide, and the small size of the seed — a quarter to half the size of canola.

“We are also trialling a large-seeded variety — the seed is 40 per cent bigger. There has never been a variety released like that and we are quite excited. We are aiming to release it for the 2017 crop year,” Grushcow said.

Currently seed grown in Canada is shipped to the States to be crushed.

“In the next two to three years my goal is to find a place in Western Canada where I can have camelina crushed or build a crush facility. Once we further develop the market, we can start to build local production and that will really help our economics overall,” Grushcow said.

The United States Department of Agriculture recently began exploring intercropping and relay cropping camelina with soybeans, for which Grushcow sees potential in Manitoba.

“I really think that the opportunity for camelina in Manitoba lies as a complementary crop with soybeans. We are starting to do some trials on that now and if it works well it will be a really big opportunity,” he said.

Smart Earth Seeds will be working to replicate trials similar to the USDA with the hopes of working camelina into soybean rotations.

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Dietary guidelines issued in 1977 and 1983 recommended reducing overall dietary fat consumption to 30 per cent of total energy intake, and saturated fat to 10 per cent of total energy intake.

Writing in the online journal Open Heart, researchers said they carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of the randomized control trial data that would have been available to the U.S. and U.K. regulatory committees at the time.

They found six relevant trials, covering seven different dietary interventions, spanning an average of five years, and involving 2,467 men. All the trials had been published before 1983 and had looked at the relationship between dietary fat, serum cholesterol, and the development of coronary heart disease.

A British Medical Journal release said the pooled data revealed a total of 740 deaths from all causes, and 423 from coronary heart disease.

“There was no difference in deaths from all causes between the ‘treatment’ and comparison groups, with 370 deaths in both. And there was no significant difference in deaths from coronary heart disease, with 207 in the ‘treatment’ groups and 216 in the comparison groups.”

The researchers highlighted several caveats in the evidence available at the time: no women were included, no trial tested the dietary recommendations and no trial concluded that dietary guidelines should be drawn up.

“It seems incomprehensible that dietary advice was introduced for 220 million Americans and 56 million U.K. citizens, given the contrary results from a small number of unhealthy men,” the researchers wrote.

They concluded: “Dietary advice not merely needs review; it should not have been introduced.”

But in a linked editorial, Rahul Bahl of the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, sounded a note of caution and said that while the data was limited, there is some evidence suggesting a link between dietary fat and heart disease.

“There is certainly a strong argument that an overreliance in public health on saturated fat as the main dietary villain for cardiovascular disease has distracted from the risks posed by other nutrients, such as carbohydrates,” Bahl wrote.

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Researchers said it’s too early to swap out blood pressure medication for the fibre-filled seeds just yet. But if future studies confirm the new results, flax might be a cheap way to treat high blood pressure, they added.

Flaxseed is well known as a plant source of omega-3 fatty acids, fibre and lignans, a type of antioxidants.

But so far, its effect on high blood pressure, or hypertension, has been better studied among animals than humans.

“This is the first demonstration of the cardiovascular effects of dietary flaxseed in a hypertensive population,” Grant Pierce told Reuters Health in an email. Pierce is the senior author on the study and executive director of research at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg.

One in three American adults has high blood pressure, considered 140/90 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg) and over, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Having high blood pressure increases a person’s risk of heart disease and stroke. The condition costs the U.S. billions of dollars each year, Pierce said.

“It is the No. 1 reason for a person to visit a physician in the U.S. today,” he said. “Understanding how to reduce blood pressure has become, therefore, a critical challenge.”

His team’s results were published in the journal Hypertension.

The trial included 110 people who had been diagnosed with peripheral artery disease, in which plaque builds up in arteries in the leg. Patients with the condition often have high blood pressure.

The participants were randomly assigned to either a flaxseed or comparison group.

People in the flaxseed group ate a variety of foods like bagels, muffins and pasta that contained 30 grams — about one ounce — of milled flaxseed every day for six months.

Those in the comparison group were given foods that tasted similar, but didn’t contain any flaxseed.

The researchers had participants increase their dose of flaxseed gradually so they could become accustomed to the fibre load.

Still, one in five participants dropped out of each group during the trial. Some of that could have been due to stomach pain from the extra fibre, Pierce said.

People who had an initial systolic blood pressure — the top number in a blood pressure reading — of at least 140 mm Hg saw that figure drop by 15 mm Hg, on average, after six months of taking flaxseed.

Their diastolic blood pressure — the bottom number — also fell by seven mm Hg. Blood pressure did not change among people with hypertension in the comparison group.

“These decreases in (blood pressure) are amongst the most potent dietary interventions observed and comparable to current medications,” Pierce said.

There was no flaxseed-related benefit for people with normal blood pressure, however.

Flaxseed costs about 25 to 50 cents per ounce.

The new study was partially funded by the Flax Council of Canada. It wasn’t originally designed to study blood pressure, which means the results have to be interpreted with more caution.

“The study results are indeed surprising — it is actually hard to imagine such huge reductions in blood pressure with flaxseed mixed in foodstuffs,” Dr. William B. White told Reuters Health in an email.

White, from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, is also the president of the American Society of Hypertension. He was not involved in the new study.

He also expressed some concern that measuring blood pressure changes was not the initial reason for doing the study. And he said the way blood pressure was measured — during a single office visit — isn’t as accurate as checking it at multiple points throughout the day.

“The results are preliminary — there is not enough information to justify people taking flaxseed for the control of hypertension. A larger, more controlled trial with out-of-office blood pressure would be needed,” White said.

According to Pierce, a new study is underway.

The post Flaxseed may reduce blood pressure, early findings show appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Dentally challenged horses will generally show their struggle during this time of the year as sudden ‘unexplained’ weight loss and ill-thrift. They are unable to maintain their body condition as winter progresses due to ineffective chewing of dry-stem forages.

Younger horses between the ages of two and four and the elderly horses are particularly afflicted. When youngsters are teething, newly shed baby teeth give way to erupting adult teeth. As a result it may be months before adult teeth come into full occlusion and during this time young horses lose grinding efficiency. This is most noticeable in three-year-olds who present with weight loss and lack of lustre as spring arrives. Fortunately body condition improves dramatically as the adult teeth come into full wear.

Aged horses who repeatedly have difficulty maintaining body weight during late winter often have a dental challenge. It is of benefit to have the teeth of these horses thoroughly examined. Dental intervention and special dietary management may be necessary to support their health.

Supervision of a horse’s body condition is of utmost importance as winter progresses. A body condition score of five is generally ideal. At this body condition the ribs are felt, body fleshing is moderate and the back is level. Straying too far from this ideal is cause for concern. Too fat is equally disruptive as is too thin to the horse’s health.

Reasonable weight loss is never too troubling in horses during the winter. It is in fact part of a horse’s natural cycle to lose weight over the winter. Horses that continually oppose seasonal flux in body weight, steadily carrying more weight over the years, become prone to endocrine and metabolic illnesses.

Winter can be the opportune moment to effectively reduce the extra weight a horse may be carrying. Feeding a horse 1.5 per cent of its ideal body weight in hay or allowing them to paw on well-stocked winter pastures are two available options. Combination of these two options will also produce favourable results.

Moderate body condition benefits all horses, especially those with arthritis more so. Weight carried beyond which is healthy taxes inflamed joints. Reduced movement, frozen terrain, and reduced intake of green grasses amplify the discomfort of arthritic horses during winter. Encouraging moderate exercise, supervision of weight, and addition of flaxseed to their diet brings welcome relief. Flaxseed is rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids, a natural anti-inflammatory. The only other source of omega-3 essential fatty acids in a horse’s diet is green grass.

Greater attention to your horse’s health at this time of the year is extremely important and may determine your horse’s lustre and attitude come spring.

The post People aren’t the only ones to get late-winter blues appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

NBO3 Technologies worked with Jim Drouillard, a Kansas State University professor of animal sciences who has been researching the addition of flax to cattle diets to increase the omega-3 fatty acid content.

Omega-3s have been shown to reduce heart disease, cholesterol and high blood pressure. Fish is the most common recommended source, but fish is not a large part of the U.S. diet, Drouillard said in a K-State release.

“Reasons for this include cost, access to fish and personal preference. Americans do, however, like hamburgers. So if we can give people a hamburger that is rich in omega-3s, it’s an alternative form of a product that they already eat and does not require a lifestyle change, which is difficult to make.”

Drouillard and his students have studied flax for several of its omega-3 fatty acids that may suppress inflammation and reduce diabetes in cattle. Research showed that omega-3 levels dramatically increased in the cattle as more flaxseed was introduced into their diet.

Drouillard said substituting omega-3 fatty acids for saturated fats does not change the ground beef’s flavour.

The enriched ground beef is named GreatO Premium Ground Beef and will be available mid-February at select retailers in Buffalo, N.Y., and expand to leading retailers and restaurants nationwide later this year.

The post Kansas company markets flax-fed ground beef appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Their milk contained more omega-3 fatty acids and less saturated fat, the study found. Diets high in saturated fat can increase cholesterol and cause heart disease, while those rich in omega-3 and other polyunsaturated fatty acids may reduce the risk of heart disease, studies have shown.

Traditional cattle feed mixtures of corn, grains, alfalfa hay and grass silage result in dairy products with low concentrations of omega-3 and other polyunsaturated fats, according to Gerd Bobe, the lead scientist on the study, which has been published online in the Journal of Dairy Science.

Ten pregnant cows at OSU’s dairy were fed different amounts of flaxseed — up to seven per cent of their daily diet. Researchers attempted to pinpoint the amount of flaxseed that would maximize the amount of omega-3 in milk and dairy products without negatively affecting their production and texture.

“We were looking for a sweet spot,” said Bobe, an expert in human and animal nutrition. “Too much of a good thing can be bad, especially when trying to maintain consistency with dairy products.”

Collaborators in OSU’s food science and technology department assisted in turning milk into butter and fresh cheese, which were then tested for texture and nutritional composition.

The study found that feeding cows up to six pounds of extruded flaxseed improved the fat profile without negatively affecting the production and texture of the milk and other dairy products. Extrusion presses raw, ground flaxseed into pellets with heat.

At six pounds per day, saturated fatty acids in whole milk fat dropped 18 per cent, polyunsaturated fatty acids increased 82 per cent, and omega-3 levels rose 70 per cent compared to feeding no flaxseed. Similar improvements were observed in butter and cheese.

Still, saturated fat accounted for more than half of the fatty acids in the dairy products while the increase in polyunsaturated fats compromised no more than nearly nine per cent of the total.

Researchers also noted that the refrigerated butter was softer and less adhesive thanks to fewer saturated fatty acids. Also, the cows produced the same amount of milk while eating flaxseed.

Although flaxseed costs more than traditional cattle feeds, Bobe hopes that it still could be an affordable feed supplement for cows because products enriched with omega-3 can sell for a premium at the grocery store.

“Many consumers already show a willingness to pay extra for value-added foods, like omega-3-enriched milk,” he said.

One thing is for sure, he said: Dairy farmers will have no trouble convincing cows to eat flaxseed.

“They loved it. They ate it like candy,” he said.

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When health studies are published that involve beef in some way, this is an opportunity for Canada Beef to weigh in and influence how the study gets communicated. In the case of positive beef stories, this is an opportunity to disseminate the key results, and in the case of negative beef stories, Canada Beef has a responsibility to provide another viewpoint and, where appropriate, a defence.

The “The Global Burden of Disease Study (2010)” found that the three leading risk factors for global disease burden were high blood pressure, tobacco smoke and alcohol use. The study identified diets low in fruits and high in sodium as the most prominent dietary risk factors for disease.

In case you are curious, here’s what made the top 20:

1. High blood pressure

2. Smoking

3. Alcohol use

4. Household air pollution

5. Low fruit consumption

6. High body mass index

7. High fasting blood glucose

8. Childhood underweight

9. Ambient pollution

10. Physical inactivity

11. High sodium intake

12. Low nuts and seeds intake

13. Iron deficiency

14. Suboptimal breastfeeding

15. High total blood cholesterol

16. Low whole grains intake

17. Low vegetable intake

18. Low omega-3 intake

19. Drug use

20. Occupational injury

As you will notice, red meat is not on the list. The researchers evaluated red meat; it actually ranked dead last in the list of the 43 factors they examined.

This study is important as the findings provide us with the opportunity to position beef in a broader context with respect to risk factors for disease. When health professionals have facts, there can be appropriate prioritization of health efforts and messaging. For example, this study shows that low-fruit and high-sodium intakes are leading dietary factors contributing to disease globally.

It so happens that Canadians’ intake of fruit and vegetables is largely inadequate, and sodium intakes are too high. Clearly then, these are priorities. In contrast, Canadians consume a moderate amount of red meat (74 g/day on average), in line with Canada’s Food Guide. Thus, our messaging to health professionals is to remind them that efforts to increase vegetable and fruit intake and reduce sodium intake are likely to be beneficial, whereas advice to limit red meat, such as beef, is likely to prove ineffective.

The post Cut the booze before the beef: Health study appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

A couple of questions about cooking poached eggs. Is there any way to prevent the eggs from sticking to the bottom of the pan? I have used both non-stick and aluminum pans but the eggs tend to stick. Also, I have been told to add a bit of vinegar to the water. What is the purpose of this? All the best.

— Vincent

Vincent,

Although some people think that vinegar is used to prevent eggs from sticking, it is actually added to help the egg hold its shape by causing the outer layer of the egg white to congeal faster. To prevent eggs from sticking, use a pan that is at least eight cm (three inches) deep so there is enough water to cover the eggs. Also, lightly coat the bottom and sides of the pan with shortening or a little oil before filling with water.

Reena,

You are a great source of information. What is omega-3 and why is it important to take/have? My chiropractor suggested I take a good multivitamin high in vitamin B, calcium and omega-3.

— Esther

Hi Esther,

Omega-3 fatty acids are a family of essential nutrients. Studies have shown that when present in the diet over a long period of time they: decrease triglyceride levels, lower cholesterol, reduce risk of heart disease, aid in regulation of blood sugar levels, reduce the rate of inflammatory diseases like arthritis and migraine headaches, reduce platelet “stickiness” and therefore reduce the tendency towards arteriosclerosis (the clogging up of the arteries with cholesterol plaque), inhibit tumour growth and lower cancer risk. When added to the diet as a supplement they also have the ability to minimize the tendency of blood cells to clot.

If you are buying omega-3 in capsule form try to get a brand with the fish oil coming from heads and skins, with no fish liver oil. Fish liver oil, in addition to containing a rich source of omega-3, is also very rich in vitamin A, which makes it possible to have too much vitamin A if capsules are being taken every day.

P.S. Always check with your doctor before taking any medication/vitamins.

Hi Reena,

My recent house guest cooked a corncob, wrapped in wax paper, in my microwave for 20 minutes. Needless to say the microwave has a strong “burnt” odour and I can’t seem to get rid of it no matter how clean it looks.

— Alene

Alene,

Combine lemon slices, vinegar or baking soda in water and heat in the microwave until the liquid boils over so that it spills into the corners. Wipe the surface. If the smell remains, store a big bowl of charcoal, coffee grounds or a bowl of baking soda in the microwave for at least a week when not in use. If the smell still remains, unplug the microwave and stuff it full of newspaper. Leave it for a week and the smell will soon be a distant memory!

Fabulous tip of the week

My daughter put her hoodie in the dryer to “warm it up.” She inadvertently left a lip balm in the pocket and it left “grease marks” all over it. I tackled the stain in the most unusual way. I used a waterless hand degreaser called “Orange.” I rubbed each spot individually and then washed it and hung it to dry. It worked BRILLIANTLY!

— Maxine

Presenting Home Sweet Home workshops across Canada. If you would like me to visit your area and present an all-day workshop, please call 204-320-2757 or email: householdsolutions@mts.net.

I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming!

Check out my website: www.householdsolutions.org.

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