Krill oil, CLA combo to fight pre-menstrual symptoms
omega-6 lipids that could help improve some of the symptoms of
pre-menstrual syndrome, thought to affect more than half of all
menstruating women.
The company, presenting the product at SupplySide East earlier this month, has blended its CLA One brand conjugated linoleic acid with a proprietary krill oil made by Neptune Technologies and Bioressources.
Called Fembiance, the product is based on science showing the anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 fats, which appear to relieve many of the physiological and emotional symptoms of PMS, such as irritability and depression, as well as menstrual pain.
A study published last year in the Alternative Medicine Review (vol 8, no 2, p171) demonstrated that Neptune's krill oil significantly reduced dysmenorrhea and the emotional symptoms of PMS in 70 subjects while also revealing higher efficacy on these symptoms than a comparison fish oil.
The addition of CLA, shown to reduce body fat (and possibly also boost the immune system), has further benefits during menstruation when swelling and bloating are common.
A small clinical trial is currently underway in the UK to investigate the combination product's benefit to women.
"If you're going after the women's health market this combo could really do the trick," said Susie Rockway, director of scientific and clinical affairs at PharmaNutrients in a seminar at SupplySide.
"PMS is beginning to be recognized as an inflammatory disorder and Fembiance will tackle many of the resulting symptoms."
Dysmenorrhea is one of the most common gynecologic complaints in young women who present to clinicians. The symptoms can disrupt personal life and is also a significant public health problem associated with substantial economic loss related to work absences. In the United States, the annual economic loss has been estimated at 600 million work hours and $2 billion in costs.
PharmaNutrients is looking for partners to bring the finished product concept to market.
