Huvepharma gets European approval for the use of OptiPhos in fish feeds
T
Ioannis Zabetakis Eat fish and ignore statins!
he regular followers of this op-ed column would remember that there are two school of thoughts in order to fight the Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs). One school of thought believes in the use of statins to reduce plasma cholesterol and the other school of thought, where we belong, puts inflammation rather than cholesterol in the epicentre of our fight against CVDs. Last May, a very interesting paper titled “The Association of Statin Therapy with Incident Diabetes: Evidence, Mechanisms, and Recommendations” was published [1]. The abstract of this paper reads: “Recent studies have demonstrated a higher risk of incident diabetes associated with statin use, causing concern among patients and clinicians. In this review, we will assess the evidence and proposed mechanisms behind statin therapy and its association with incident diabetes. We will then review the current recommendations for statin use in light of this association and suggest next steps for clinicians managing these patients and researchers exploring this phenomenon”. The authors have found that “the annual risk of developing new-onset diabetes with statin treatment is approximately 0.1 percent. In comparison, the absolute risk reduction of major coronary events with statin use is approximately 0.42 percent annually. Statins are associated with the development of incident diabetes, particularly among those with predisposing risk factors for diabetes. However, the benefit of statin use among these patients in preventing major coronary events strongly favours statin use despite its risk of incident diabetes”. Also last May, our group has published a review paper titled “Inflammation, not e: ioannis.zabetakis@ul.ie
Cholesterol, Is a Cause of Chronic Disease” where we discuss that since the Seven Countries Study, dietary cholesterol and the levels of serum cholesterol in relation to the development of chronic diseases have been somewhat demonised. However, the principles of the Mediterranean diet and relevant data linked to the examples of people living in the five blue zones demonstrate that the key to longevity and the prevention of chronic disease development is not the reduction of dietary or serum cholesterol but the control of systemic inflammation. In this review, we present all the relevant data that supports the view that it is inflammation induced by several factors, such as platelet-activating factor (PAF), that leads to the onset of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) rather than serum cholesterol. The key to reducing the incidence of CVD is to control the activities of PAF and other inflammatory mediators via diet, exercise, and healthy lifestyle choices [2]. In conclusion, we suggest that regular consumption of food rich in anti-inflammatory compounds, like any fish, should be promoted and the use of statins (with a high risk of on setting diabetes) should be only considered in patients with high cardiovascular risk (that is not necessarily associated with high plasma cholesterol).
Further Reading
The Association of Statin Therapy with Incident Diabetes: Evidence, Mechanisms, and Recommendations https://link.springer.com/ article/10.1007%2Fs11886-018-0995-6 Inflammation, not Cholesterol, Is a Cause of Chronic Disease http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/5/604
@yanzabet
Currently working on Food Lipids at the University of Limerick, Ireland, focusing on feeds, food and nutraceuticals against inflammation, Ioannis is a co-inventor in two patents, has edited a book on marine oils, and has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles (h-index 19). He is currently writing a book on "The Impact of Nutrition and Statins on Cardiovascular Diseases" for Elsevier. 6 | August 2018 - International Aquafeed
F
ollowing its strategy to be the leading player in the feed enzymes market Huvepharma has now obtained the European registration for use of OptiPhos, the fastest phytase, in fish feeds. Aquaculture and aquafeed are recognised as fastgrowing markets in animal protein production. Together with its growth, different concerns have emerged and discussions over sustainability (reduction of fish meal usage) and environmental impact (phosphorus excretion into the water) of intensive fish farming are now in the spotlight. Aware of the concerns around aquaculture business and having OptiPhos as a leading Phytase, Huvepharma brought the first high efficiency phytase to the aquafeed market. OptiPhos has proven its efficacy in promoting better fish growth and feed conversion under diets with reduced fish meal inclusion and in improving phosphorous utilisation with a significant reduction on phosphorous excretion into the water.