Print This PageOmega-3 Fatty Acids Help Maintain Heart Health
Monsanto and The Solae Company to Collaborate on Soy-based Omega-3 Portfolio
Consumers have been challenged to eat more fish and other foods with high levels of heart-healthy omega-3s. But many find it difficult or too expensive to incorporate fatty fish into the diet on a regular basis. Now, thanks to a new collaboration between Monsanto and The Solae Company, soybeans may become a valuable source of omega-3. Soy is renewable, stable and easy to consume.
Omega-3
fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids, which means they are essential
to human health but cannot be manufactured by the body. For this reason, omega-3
fatty acids must be obtained from food. The challenge is that omega-3 is not
present in most of the foods we eat on a daily basis, and the food processing
industry has had difficulty finding stable omega-3 supplements that don’t
interfere with taste.
The new collaboration between Monsanto and The Solae Company will result in a broader omega-3 portfolio for development of new products that can bring omega-3 health benefits to consumers.
“This collaboration enables Monsanto to have access to some patented genetic, food formulation and stabilization technologies in the omega-3 field,” says Leticia Goncalves, Quality Traits Commercial Development Lead.
How omega-3 works in the body
Three major omega-3 fatty acids are ingested through foods and used by the
body: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic
acid (DHA). Once eaten, the body converts ALA to heart healthy omega-3s including
EPA, and to a smaller extent DHA, the two types of omega-3 fatty acids most
readily used by the body. However, the conversion of ALA to EPA (and then
to DHA) is very inefficient, and only a small percentage of ALA consumed
is made into the beneficial omega-3s.
Currently, omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish and certain plant oils. ALA is found in plant sources including flax, walnuts and canola oil. EPA and DHA are found in fatty fish, like salmon, sardines and tuna. Monsanto has developed soybeans that provide oil enriched in the omega-3 fatty acid called stearidonic acid (SDA).
SDA is more efficiently converted by your body to EPA than current plant
sources (ALA) because it bypasses a step in the conversion process, according
to Ernie Sanders, Omega-3 Team lead. “SDA is also more stable and easier
to work with than fish oil (EPA and DHA acids),” he says.
Dr. Alexander Leaf, Professor Emeritus at Harvard Medical School, has been researching omega-3s at the Massachusetts General Hospital and participated in the development of the American Heart Association diet and lifestyle recommendations. Currently he directs research at Harvard (on omega-3s?) and participated in the development of the American Heart Association diet and lifestyle recommendations. “If it is found that SDA behaves in every way the same as the fish-based fatty acids do, it will be an unbelievable blessing as far as human health care goes.”
Omega-3 essential for healthy hearts
Omega-3 fatty acids have shown to be beneficial at various life stages and
with several health conditions; however, most of the research behind omega-3
benefits are related to heart health, notes Monsanto Nutritionist Shawna
Lemke. The FDA has recognized the importance of omega-3 fatty acids for reducing
the risk of coronary heart disease, she says. In addition, for a healthy
person the American Heart Association recommends two servings of fatty fish
a week, which provides approximately 500 mg of EPA and DHA a day. For a person
with coronary heart disease one gram a day is recommended.
Soybeans as a renewable, land-based source of omega-3s
Many people find it too difficult or too expensive to consume fatty fish or
take daily fish oil supplements. Others are concerned about levels of heavy
metals and overfishing.
Another benefit of SDA soybeans is the stabilization of the ocean’s wild fish population, which is suffering from overfishing, says Sanders. “The supply of wild catch fish is going down,” he says, “and the world population is going up. We are already not getting enough omega-3s, so the gap grows even greater. What is the best way to relieve the pressure on that gap? It’s a land-based consistent, reliable source of omega-3s that takes the pressure off the fishing in our oceans.”
There is an increased awareness of omega-3 benefits with consumers, resulting in a rapidly growing market, says Director of Food Applications Rick Wilkes. “Consumers are seeing more products in the grocery store labeled with omega-3 benefits,” he says. “Some of these products are just pointing out what has always been in the product and others are products with added flax oil, fish oil or encapsulated fish oil. Consumers want to see omega-3s in affordable products they like and eat frequently, so they don’t have to change their eating habits. They also don’t want to compromise on taste.”
Focus on the consumer: Flavor and shelf-life
SDA soybeans will result in a wider range of foods enriched in omega-3s than
what is currently on the market, while providing improved flavor stability
which is key to shelf-life, notes Wilkes. “SDA soybeans have been
processed to provide high-quality SDA oil, similar to commercial soybean
oil, which can be used in a wide variety of traditional consumer products,” he
says. “The current source of omega-3, fish oil, doesn’t lend
itself to food processing. Fish oil has a short shelf life requiring refrigeration
and a very poor taste. Also, it is still very expensive to add to food.”
Currently, Wilkes has incorporated SDA soybean oil into several different food products, like salad dressing, soy beverages and granola bars, creating prototypes using the SDA soybeans. “Consistently we perform better than fish oil and continue to evaluate SDA in many different foods,” he says.
Even now, before SDA soybean oil is available for food companies to incorporate in their products, it is a good idea to start including more omega-3 rich foods into the diet. The best source of heart healthy omega-3s is in fatty fish such as salmon and herring.
