Mauie Flores

Just sharing a press release from Cenovis Fish Oil.

With an aim to raise awareness and understanding on the role and use of omega-3 in one’s health, the Omega-3 Academy Asia was formally launched today by a distinguished panel of medical experts from various fields as well as key executives from sanofi-aventis, makers of Cenovis Fish Oil.

Established by a multi-disciplinary panel of professionals from fields like clinical nutrition, cardiology, family health and diabetology, the Omega-3 Academy Asia is comprised of expert panel of medical professionals from across Asia, who have come together to increase understanding and education on the role and use of omega-3.

Sponsored by sanofi-aventis Consumer Health, the Omega-3 Academy Asia is an Asia-specific organization chaired by Professor Andrew Sinclair from Deakin University in Australia, with members from Korea, Thailand and the Philippines’ Dr. Tommy Ty-Willing, an endocrinologist and Dr. Eugene Reyes, a cardiologist. The Omega-3 Academy Asia is committed to increasing awareness and understanding of omega-3 by undertaking a number of initiatives to highlight the impact of decreased omega-3 intake in current Asian diets and convey the associated health benefits of increasing omega-3 consumption.

Omega-3 Fish Oil is a type of polyunsaturated ‘good’ fat that is important to our health. However, omega-3 can’t be made by the body, so it needs to be obtained through our diets. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in foods such as fish and plants, with shellfish and oily fish providing the highest quantities. Omega-3 can play a role in achieving good health and can protect against a number of diseases.

Omega-3 fatty acids DHA & EPA are needed for every cell in the body and are particularly important for the health of vital organs such as the heart and brain. Omega-3 fatty acids DHA & EPA can play a role in achieving optimal health and protection against disease by influencing the way cells and tissues in the body respond to external signals.

Many clinical studies since the early 1970s have shown a link between high consumption of oily fish and lower levels of heart disease, prevention of heart conditions, vision impairment and joint diseases such as arthritis.

Omega-3 is also essential for brain growth and development as the brain contains EPA and DHA, and has been shown to be important for an unborn child’s brain and age-related cognitive decline.

International guidelines recommend that an adult should consume 500 milligrams of fish oil per day. This can be achieved by eating 2-3 servings of oily fish per week. For people with heart disease, double this amount is recommended (1,000 milligrams of fish oil per day).

Omega-3 intake across the Asia region is considered to be below daily recommended guidelines, yet specific intake levels vary greatly from country to country, and there is a specific lack of clinical data on omega-3 Fish Oil intake in the Philippines. To address this, the Omega-3 Academy Asia will soon begin an investigation into the omega-3 intake of people living in Korea, Thailand and the Philippines by conducting new clinical research and reviewing existing data. The findings will hopefully be available in 2012. As a first step, the group wants to establish a baseline on the current intake of omega-3 Fish Oil in the three countries, before commencing educational and awareness-raising initiatives designed to increase Omega-3 consumption in the near future.

Says sanofi-aventis marketing manager Rachelle Gamboa: “In addition to the significant research and development (R&D) that is invested into the production of effective healthcare solutions, sanofi-aventis Consumer Healthcare invests a great deal of time and resource into providing vital consumer and healthcare professional information and support to improve the health and well‐being of people across Asia, and the rest of the world. We are optimistic that Filipinos will find the Omega-3 Academy Asia to be a great resource as far as their health and well-being is concerned.”

Please visit www.omega3academy.com for further information.


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