Neptune Krill Oil Study May 2006

[Guest guest]

Below is a news release regarding the latest Neptune Krill Oil study.

http://www.howardgroupinc.com/news/news_ntb9.htm

Neptune Announces Study Results of NKO TM – Statin Combination:

BREAKTHROUGH Results in Cholesterol Management

Laval, Quebec, Canada, May 4th, 2006, Neptune Technologies &

Bioressources Inc., (TSX.V: NTB), «Neptune» is pleased to announce

breakthrough clinical results with a combination of Neptune Krill Oil

(NKO™) and Statins.

The study, entitled " Evaluation of the effects of Neptune Krill Oil

on the clinical course of hyperlipidemia " , was conducted by McGill

University and University of Montreal affiliated doctors. The

objective of the study was to assess the effects of Neptune Krill Oil

on total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and HDL compared to Statins,

fish oil and placebo.

Eligible for recruitment were patients with mild to moderate

hyperlipidemia who could maintain a healthy diet. Patients were

either treatment naïve, in other words not currently taking any

medication for hyperlipidemia, or on a 10mg daily Statin treatment

and for at least 6 months. The following research findings are the

result of the subgroup analysis of 65 of the 120 patients who

participated in this study. According to the study protocol, these 65

patients were already on a 10mg per day Statin regimen for at least 6

months and continued for the duration of the study.

The results of the present study indicate that after 90 days, the

combined treatment of NKO™ (1-1.5g/day) and Statins (10mg/day)

reduced total cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol) and increased HDL

(good cholesterol) significantly more than Statins alone, with a

certainty of 95% and a probability of chance findings less than one

in one thousand.

The combined NKO™/Statin treatment increased HDL by 51% and decreased

LDL by 37% compared to a 13% HDL increase and 29% LDL decrease

achieved by Statins alone.

" I am extremely pleased with these results. The study strongly

indicates a significant advantage in hyperlipidemia treatment when

combining the therapeutic effect of NKO™ with Statins over

conventional Statin therapy alone " said Dr. Tina Sampalis, M.D.,

Ph.D., Vice President of R & D and Business Development at

Neptune. " These results justify a future multicenter/multinational

pivotal study of NKO™ versus Statins to further evaluate the

effects. "

" Current epidemiological studies have shown a strong association

between high levels of LDL and low levels of HDL and premature

coronary heart disease. According to industry reports 107 million

patients suffer from high LDL; however, the number of patients with

low HDL exceeds 107 million " concluded Dr. Sampalis.

" ........Mr. Henri Harland, President & CEO of Neptune. " It is

predicted that Statins will continue to dominate the cardiovascular

disease market during the 2006-2012 period. However, the

pharmaceutical industry has recognized the importance of an HDL

increase in lipid management and is looking to improve the

performance of statins with more complete and effective therapies.

Neptune's tremendously encouraging preliminary results direct us to

aggressively target this market and prove NKO™ as a standard in lipid

care " concluded Henri Harland.

-----------------------------

My comment: A prior study published in Altern Med Rev 2004;9(4):420-

428)showed a 43 to 60% increase in HDL-cholesterol with daily dosages

of NKO from 1.0 g to 3.0 g/day, and was previously posted.

The 2004 and the 2006 studies show massive increases in HDL-

cholesterol (as well as very significant reductions in LDL-C).

However, there are reasons to be skeptical of both studies, due to

small sample sizes, and potential conflicts of interest.

One of the owners of Neptune (Dr. Tina Sampalis) apparently has had a

large input into conducting these studies.

A PubMed search of " Krill " uncovered two very intriguing and

tantalizing studies; from 1985 and 1993

Vopr Pitan. 1985 Mar-Apr;(2):69-72. Related Articles, Links

[Technochemical characteristics of canned " Natural Antarctic shrimp

meat " and its nutritive value]

[Article in Russian]

Iarochkin AP, Rol' LN, Kovekovdova LT, Lapardin MP.

The authors studied the technochemical characteristics and biological

value of the canned food prepared from Antarctic krill.............

The diet containing canned food manufactured from krill reduces the

blood cholesterol content.

PMID: 4002685 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Probl Endokrinol (Mosk). 1993 Jul-Aug;39(4):21-3. Related Articles,

Links

[Effect of squid liver fat and krill meat on blood serum

atherogenicity in patients with type I diabetes mellitus]

[Article in Russian]

Shagaeva MM, Slavina LS, Balabolkin MI, Sobenin IA, Orekhov AN.

Study of the effects of squid liver fat and krill meat on blood serum

atherogenic characteristics in patients with type I diabetes.......

their consumption was associated with a marked reduction of blood

serum atherogenicity. The mechanism of this effect is still to be

researched.

PMID: 8415523 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

bb