Government sells rights to heart health combo

27-Sep-2009 - Last updated on 28-Sep-2009 at 15:44 GMT

Related tags Atherosclerosis North america United states

Omnia Foods has acquired the rights to a cholesterol cutting ingredient made from berberine and plant stanols, originally developed by Canadian government researchers.

Suitable for functional foods and dietary supplements, the combination of plant botanical extracts will be presented to the North American market as a safe alternative to statin drugs.

Test results

Canadian government researchers at the National Research Council (NRC) claim the new ingredient helps to lower LDL-cholesterol - also known as bad cholesterol - by 66 per cent and reduce fat in the blood by 50 per cent. The test results are published in Elsevier’s “Atherosclerosis” journal.

NRC spokesperson Lise Lafontaine said berberine and plant stanols both inhibit cholesterol absorption on their own but in combination they reduce plasma cholesterol and lower liver cholesterol significantly.

The exact components of the new ingredient are 98 percent pure berberine and 92 percent plant stanols (82 percent sitostanols and 10 percent campestanols).

NRC claims the new ingredient is a powerful tool in the fight against cholesterol and cardiovascular disease in North America.

Safety appeal

Part of the appeal is expected to be its safety credentials. Tests at the NRC Institute for Nutrisciences and Health researchers have not uncovered any toxic effects.

Statin drugs are the commonly prescribed treatment for blood cholesterol, but according to NRC, they inhibit the synthesis of an important mitochondrial enzyme called Q10. This is thought to be behind a number of side effects, such as muscle-related myopathies, that are related to levels of coenzyme Q10.

Tests have found no such issue with the botanical alternative to satin drugs, which has now reached the commercial stage. NRC sold the licensing agreement for the plant combination to Vancouver-based Omnia Foods, allowing the company to sell the ingredient in products for the North American markets.

“Omnia Foods is confident that NRC’s technology will further our efforts to launch new natural health products throughout North America,” said Mira Laza, Chief of Food Technology of Omnia Foods. “As incidences of cardiovascular disease continue to rise, North Americans need safer more effective options to keep them healthy.”