Aker BioMarine positions krill oil as solution for CVD’s burden following triglyceride investigation

18 Jan 2022 --- Supplementation with Aker BioMarine’s krill oil has been found to reduce triglyceride levels in the blood, which is a key measure of heart health. The study is pegged as the largest clinical investigation of an omega 3 formulation in patients with severely high triglyceride levels to date.

“This groundbreaking study gives proof that krill oil is part of the solution to alleviate the burden cardiovascular disease has on society,” says Katina Handeland, R&D director for human health and nutrition at Aker BioMarine.

She tells NutritionInsight that the next steps would be to raise awareness so that even more people start using krill oil for their cardiovascular health.

“This can potentially have a significant impact on improving the health condition of millions of people and reduce healthcare costs,” she emphasizes. 

Notably, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of deaths globally, taking an estimated 18 million lives each year. 

In the US, one-third of the population has elevated triglyceride levels in their blood, which increases the risk of heart disease. Participants were randomly assigned to receive krill oil capsules or placeboes over the course of the experiment.

26% triglyceride reductions
Now published in Cardiology,  the placebo-controlled study is sponsored by Acasti Pharma, of which Aker BioMarine is a supplier. 

It examined the effects of krill oil capsules on 520 patients with severely high triglyceride levels in their blood (hypertriglyceridemia).

The findings show that patients consuming the krill oil experienced a 26.0% reduction in blood triglyceride levels from baseline, versus a 15.1% reduction among the placebo group after 12 weeks, giving a significant treatment difference of -10.9%.   

After 26 weeks, the patients consuming the krill oil experienced a 33.5% reduction in blood triglyceride levels from baseline, versus a 20.8 % reduction among the placebo group, giving a significant treatment difference of -12.7%.

Handeland says that the results are not especially surprising as they confirm what researchers have seen after studying krill oil’s effects on heart health for over a decade. 

“But, the fact that these two studies, which were pooled together into one big study, were conducted in a patient population that we hadn’t studied previously, and found comparable results to our previous research, is confirmation about krill oil’s effects on heart and cardiovascular health.” 

An even “truer” hypertriglyceridemia population?
Additionally, krill oil treatment had an even stronger effect in those who also took medication for hypertriglyceridemia.

The study authors found that participants in the placebo group were more likely to see large variations in their triglyceride levels in the screening period before entering the trial. They, therefore, decided to look at a subsection of the participants who were most at risk, using medication to help with their high triglyceride levels.

“When analyzing only those patients receiving medications for their hypertriglyceridemia at study start, the authors observed even stronger reductions in the krill oil group and fewer reductions in the placebo group,” says Handeland.

This is interesting as these patients may represent an even more “true” hypertriglyceridemia patient population, she continues.  The current publication pools the data from two large clinical trials conducted by US and Canadian scientists.

Building on prior knowledge 
Aker BioMarine also points to previous research, showing that krill oil is clinically proven to support the three markers of heart health, better than any other omega 3 source. 

Specifically, it can lower triglycerides levels in blood, increase the omega 3 index and it causes no increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. 

A previous study also found that krill oil may positively affect the liver.

In October, Aker BioMarine announced it would be able to enforce its patent related to the production and composition of krill oil, following a decision by the European Patent Office. 

It is also aiming to double revenues by 2025, expecting growth in its US and Asia markets. 

Edited by Katherine Durrell