“A house dust mite model of induced asthma in mice was utilized in this study, and OmeGo showed a significant reduction in eosinophilic lung and systemic inflammation and reduced lung remodelling (scarring) compared to cod liver oil,” the researchers wrote.
“OmeGo has the potential to be a pragmatic, cost-effective co-treatment for less severe forms of eosinophilic asthma.”
Published in the Biomedicines journal in the special issue Pathogenesis and Novel Therapeutics in Asthma, the study was funded by Hofseth Biocare.
The full spectrum
OmeGo, which Hofseth Biocare upcycles from the by-products of parent-company Hofseth International’s farmed salmon in Norway, is minimally processed with low levels of oxidation and free fatty acids. As such, it “contains all of the polyunsaturated acids found in whole fish, not just omega-3,” the study noted.
“Fish oil is heavily processed and concentrates on just one or two elements of whole fish, such as Omega-3,” said Dr. Crawford Currie, head of medical R&D at Hofseth BioCare and lead author on the study.
“While important, Omega-3 makes up only a fraction of the fish and its full potential is, therefore, unfulfilled.”
Hofseth Biocare attributes OmeGo’s significant inflammation-resolving, antioxidant and anti-allergic properties to a gentle manufacturing process that preserves the full spectrum of 21 omegas and fatty acids found in the sushi-grade Atlantic salmon.
“Nothing added, nothing diminished, nothing taken away,” Currie added. “OmeGo is the closest consumers can get to eating whole fish and these latest findings show its promise in helping the body resolve inflammation, rebalance the immune system and promote healthy aging.”
Like the other ingredients in the company’s product portfolio, OmeGo is classified as a New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Associated claims include helping to support cardiovascular health and to sustain a healthy oxidative balance.
Study details
Using the common house dust mite model of asthma in mice, the study compared the impact of seven days of treatment with OmeGo to either asthma drug fevipiprant or cod liver oil on lung and serum inflammatory markers and lung fibrosis.
Fifty healthy young adult female mice were divided into groups of 10 and randomly assigned to one of five treatment groups: no treatment (negative control), 0.5 mL of cod liver oil (vehicle control), 18 mg or 32 mg of OmeGo (test item) and 2 mg fevipiprant (positive control).
The researchers found that OmeGo, dosed orally, significantly reduced lung and systemic inflammation. Reductions in eosinophils and neutrophils were accompanied by a reduction in total lung collagen, suggesting the potential to moderate airway inflammation and remodeling and help maintain lung function.
“The effects of fevipiprant and OmeGo were generally similar with regard to lung and systemic inflammation, with significant reductions in both eosinophil and neutrophil counts as well as total lung collagen,” the study concluded.
“This latest study strengthens the growing bank of evidence that OmeGo, derived from fresh, whole, minimally-processed salmon offers an extensive and varied health benefit profile, beyond nutrition,” Currie added.
Moving forward, Hofseth Biocare plans to study the effects in human subjects with mild to moderate asthma to assess whether these results can translate into improved asthma control with OmeGo added to standard-of-care treatment. Studies are also in the pipeline to assess the potential positive effects of OmeGo on gut health, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pollution-induced inflammation.
Source: Biomedicines 2022, 10 (10)
“Assessing the Anti-Inflammatory Effects of an Orally Dosed Enzymatically Liberated Fish Oil in a House Dust Model of Allergic Asthma”
doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10102574
Authors: Crawford Currie et al.