Eighteen weeks of supplementation with salmon protein hydrolysate may boost vitality, improve inflammatory markers, and enhance hair, skin, and nail quality, says a new study using Hofseth BioCare’s ProGo ingredient.
The cosmetic benefits were most striking for the women in the study, with measures of hair, skin, and nail quality improving by 34.5%, according to findings published in Functional Foods in Health and Disease.
“This pilot study suggests that daily supplementation with 4 grams of salmon protein hydrolysate (SPH) may enhance vitality, reduce oxidative stress, and favorably influence inflammatory markers in healthy adults,” wrote HBC’s Christian Bjerknes, Nicholas Frampton, and Crawford Currie.
“Key findings include a significant increase in self-assessed vitality (10.24%), reductions in oxidative stress biomarkers (9%), and up regulation of antioxidant genes such as HMOX1 and FTH1.”
ProGo
HBC has been honing its proprietary processes and building the clinical substantiation for its ingredient portfolio for over a decade, and now offers a portfolio of sustainable, upcycled solutions for a range of health endpoints. Among those solutions is ProGo, upcycled from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) via a gentle enzymatic process.
Published data supports ProGo’s potential for maintaining iron status (linked to ferritin and hemoglobin), gastrointestinal health, weight management, muscle growth, sports nutrition, and perhaps even anti-sarcopenic effects.
The new study indicates that the benefits may also extend to cosmetics. Hofseth BioCare ASA fully funded the trial.
Study details
The study, which was conducted by KGK Science Inc., included 20 healthy adults (14 women) to participate in their open-label, single-arm study. All the participants consumed four grams per day of ProGo for 128 days.
The study provided a mix of subjective and objective measures. For subjective, the participants reported a 10% increase in their perceived energy levels, with women reporting a greater increase (14.55%). Self-reported cosmetic outcomes improved by 24% for all the participants, with the greatest improvements reported by women: A 34.5% enhancement in hair, skin, and nail health.
Objective measures included markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. The data showed that oxidative stress (assessed using the free radical activity was assessed using a ROS/RNS assay kit) decreased by 9%, and this was accompanied by 4.09-fold and 3.77-fold up regulation of the antioxidant genes HMOX1 and FTH1, respectively.
“SPH supplementation also modulated inflammatory markers, showing increases in [anti-inflammatory] IL-2 and IL-10,” wrote Bjerknes, Frampton, and Currie, “and decreases in [pro-inflammatory] IL-5, IL-8, and CRP. This suggests that SPH promotes an anti-inflammatory profile, contributing to a healthier immune response.”
These changes are consistent with results from earlier studies with the ingredient which showed significant reductions in IL-6 and other metabolic biomarkers, they said.
“From a practical standpoint, SPH shows promise as a nutraceutical supplement for promoting healthy aging, reducing inflammation, and enhancing skin and cosmetic health. Marine-derived protein hydrolysates, like the one studied, offer a sustainable method to utilize marine by-products, adding economic value while delivering health benefits,” the concluded.
Source: Functional Foods in Health and Disease
Volume 14, Issue 11, Pages 814-842. doi: 10.31989/ffhd.v14i11.1491
“Investigating the efficacy of 18-week salmon protein hydrolysate supplementation on metabolic inflammation, well-being, and cosmetic outcomes: A pilot clinical trial in healthy adults”
Authors: C. Bjerknes, C. Currie, N. Frampton
