Omega-3 continues to win adherents: the supplement is said to support a healthy heart.(MERCHANDISING/NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS)(Statistical data) - Chain Drug Review

NEW YORK -- With more consumers making nutritional supplements a regular portion of their health care regimen, few products have been getting as much attention recently as have omega-3 fatty acids.

Containing nutritional properties that are impossible for the body to create on its own, omega-3 fatty acids are found naturally in fish oils, walnuts and green vegetables. Proponents of omega 3 say it is one of the most important nutritional supplements available, helping to improve cardiovascular health and brain function.

According to a recent survey, of the 91% of cardiologists who have recommended dietary supplements to their patients to support cardiovascular health, three-quarters say that if they had to choose just one supplement to support cardiovascular health they would choose omega-3 fatty acids.

More recent research suggests omega-3s may also help reduce the risk of colon cancer in some patients.

After studies in animals and a handful of small trials in people suggested that fish oil supplementation can fight inflammation and may have cancer-fighting properties, Dr. Sangmi Kiln of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C., began investigating the impact that these supplements can have on larger groups of people.

After looking at more than 1,800 patients--including 929 with colon cancer--researchers found a reduced risk of colon cancer in the Caucasian patients studied but not in the African-American patients.

'It is more important than ever for all men and women to take responsibility for their cardiovascular health and to be knowledgeable about the cardiovascular health benefits of supplements,' comments Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, attending cardiologist and the director of women and heart disease of the Heart and Vascular Institute of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

She notes that omega-3 products like Schiff Nutrition International Inc.'s MegaRed and Twinlab Corp.'s Omega-3 Cardio Krill Oil, which are formulated from krill oil, provide advantages over products derived from fish off.

Krill oil products, Steinbaum says, have become a popular choice for consumers who want omega-3 fatty acids but do not want to hassle with the large pills and unpleasant aftertaste associated with traditional fish oil supplements.

All of the recent news about fish oil, however, has not been positive.

A lawsuit filed in California earlier this year accuses several fish oil supplement manufacturers of selling products that contain unsafe levels of polychlorinated biphenyl compounds, also known as PCBs. Five supplement companies, CVS Caremark Corp, Rite Aid Corp. and Omega Protein Inc., which is the world's largest producer of omega-3 fish oil, are named in the suit.

The legal action was brought under a provision of California's Proposition 65 that requires products that may contain toxic ingredients above safe levels to have warning labels for consumer safety.

Tests done on the products in question showed that the level of PCBs found varied significantly, with the lowest level of PCBs being one-70th of the amount found in the brands with the highest levels.

Suppliers say their fish oils have been purified and treated to reduce or remove contaminants, and executives at the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) say consumers have little cause for concern, noting that fish oils have been used safely for decades.

And, they point out, California's limits on PCBs are not in line with those observed in the rest of the country.

'PCBs are ubiquitous within the environment, which means that all fish--whether fish found in oceans and rivers or [those used for] fish oil supplements--contain at least trace amounts of PCBs,' says Andrew Shao, CRN senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs. 'In fact, conventional food forms of fish contain higher levels of PCBs than fish oil supplements, in part because supplement fish oil products go through a refining process which reduces PCBs and other contaminants.'

MINERAL SUPPLEMENTSTOTAL DOLLAR SALES * $1.63 bil. (+8.5%)DRUG STORES $1.03 bil. (+8.8%)                               Market       Dollar      Dollar salesLEADING BRANDS **              share      sales (000)     % changeNature's Bounty                14.7%       $151,576        +25.0%Nature Made                     9.2%         94,413         +8.1%Osteo Bi-Flex Joint Shield      2.7%         27,456        +66.4%Nature's Bounty Q-Sorb          2.2%         22,657        +27.1%Osteo Bi-Flex                   2.1%         21,832        -26.4%Citracal                        1.7%         17,448        +77.5%Schiff Move Free                1.6%         16,943        -10.1%Natrol                          1.6%         16,073        -25.3%Os Cal                          1.5%         14,949         -6.7%Ca It rate                      1.3%         13,225        +12.7%TOTAL UNIT SALES * 168.3 mil. (+4.8%)DRUG STORES 98.9 mil. (+5.4%)                             Avg. price   Unit sales     Unit salesLEADING BRANDS **             per unit       (000)        % changeNature's Bounty                $8.29        18,291         +20.8%Nature Made                     9.51         9,933          -3.2%Sundown Naturals                7.76         1,645         +69.4%Natrol                         10.41         1,544         -32.0%Osteo Bi-Flex Joint Shield     18.63         1,474         +74.2%Citracal                       12.33         1,415         -68.3%Os Cal                         12.19         1,226           6.3%Nature's Bounty Q-Sorb         18.54         1,222         +26.0%Caltrate                       11.31         1,170          +5.0%Viactiv                         8.33         1,102          -9.5%* Total of drug stores, supermarkets and discount stores excludingWalmart** In drug stores only. Private label products account for a 33.6%dollar share and a 39.8% unit share.Source: SymphonyIRI Group Inc.For the 52 weeks ended May 16, 2010.