CaDi addresses lucrative fertility market with AI-backed omega 3 launch

27 Oct 2020 --- The female fertility market presents a major opportunity for the nutrition industry to provide targeted, personalized supplements that could improve birth rates and health in pregnancy, according to Cambridge Diagnostic Imaging (CaDi).

The company is releasing two potent DHA omega 3 supplements, one designed to preserve ovarian health in women and a second to prepare them for egg retrieval and IVF. The supplements will be accompanied by AI technology that customizes and traces treatment for each patient. 

Dr. Ivan Petyaev, founder and CEO of Lycotec, the research arm of CaDi, tells NutritionInsight of the importance of the fertility market and the need for improved supplementation. “The lifespan of a woman’s fertility is relatively short, perhaps 25 years before menopause, and much of the world faces issues with fertility.”

“In some countries, up to 25 percent of women have trouble becoming pregnant. This is more of a nutritional issue than a medical issue. Problems arise due to micro pathologies in diet and lifestyle and need to be addressed as such,” he says. 

More potent supplements
Lycofertilic is a complex of DHA omega 3, lutein and zeaxanthin, which help to provide anti-aging support for ovaries in women throughout their fertility years. 

Lycofertilic Prime is an increased dose of the same complex intended for use in the weeks leading up to egg retrieval or IVF. 

Clinical trials demonstrated the supplement to be ten to 15 times stronger than conventional omega 3 supplement products and four to five times more potent than omega 3 pharmaceuticals. This increased strength is said to reduce inflammatory damage more efficiently, while boosting peripheral tissue oxygenation and respiration. 

Preventing overconsumption of traditional omega 3
Improved bioavailability and targeted delivery also reduces side effects and could prevent unnecessary overconsumption of traditional omega 3 products, the company claims. Petyaev explains this is a supplementation problem. “Extracting omega 3 makes it vulnerable as a molecule, partly because of our stomach acid – when eaten as part of seafood, acid is diluted.”

“An element of our technology is, therefore, to combine omega 3 with other molecules to protect it, and you can therefore consume far less and still absorb the same amount,” he adds.Improved supplementation could help some of the 28 million women encountering fertility issues each year. 

Harnessing AI for personalization
Treatment with the product is conducted using AI-based algorithms developed by CaDi, which determines individualized doses for each person. 

Petyaev says this is a fundamental part of the approach to supplementation. “Different people respond differently to treatments. We need to devize different formulations for different age groups and different body weights.” 

“I want this product to be specialized per person on these bases and monitored throughout treatment. This is not a product that will simply be sold on shop shelves,” he adds.

Lycofertilic has been approved for consumption and is GMO-free and vegan. 

Supplementation for fertility 
Many lifestyle factors are reducing the effectiveness of IVF treatment and speeding ovarian deterioration in women. Poor diet, obesity, stress and inflammatory pathologies in pelvic organs all contribute to the depletion of egg quality in women. 

CaDi says that creating better supplements is an essential element of combating these issues. “According to the World Health Organisation, 28 million women worldwide encounter fertility problems every year. This is a serious problem that we decided to help address by launching these new innovative technology-based products” says Alexey Shulepov, CEO of CaDi.

“As preparation for IVF is a critical period for the fertilization process, it is of utmost importance that women receive health products with the highest quality ingredients such as algae DHA omega 3, and of sustainable origin too.”

Omega 3 for pregnancy 
The importance of omega 3 during pregnancy is a well-established topic. 

Concern over the quantity of omega 3 pregnant women consume was expressed in a 2015 study, which found only 27 percent of women consuming the EU consensus’ recommended doses during pregnancy, and 25 percent during the three-month postpartum period. 

The lack of supplementation in these periods can negatively impact infant health. Research last year found that 600 mg daily doses of DHA omega 3 significantly reduced the likelihood of obesity and high blood pressure in children. 

A study conducted in Denmark earlier this year also found that men consuming fish oil supplements high in omega 3 fatty acids, showed greater than average testicle size, sperm volume and overall semen count. While this was an observational study in need of follow up clinical trials, experts acknowledged it might show that omega 3 can increase male fertility. 

By Louis Gore-Langton