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ECHIUM: THE SOIL-TO-OIL SOURCE OF ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS

Nutraceutical Business & Technology July 1, 2010 | Warnaer, Marianne Delivering stearidonic acid, the vegetable precursor of EPA.

Oil from the seeds of Echium plantagineum is one the richest sources of essential fatty acids in the plant kingdom. Abundant in the well-known alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and gamma-inolenic acid (GLA), it also provides significant quantities of the lesser-known stearidonic acid (SDA). The SDA content in Refined Echium oil is the highest of all the oils on the market, giving customers the opportunity to differentiate their products and, more importantly, offer health benefits that were formerly only associated with fish oil.

Echium plantagineum is a species of Echium, a genus of the borage family of plants. Native to Western and Southern Europe, Northern Africa and Southwestern Asia, it is an annual or biennial plant, growing from 20-60 cm tall, with rough, hairy leaves and beautiful purple flowers. Echium plantagineum is cultivated under contract by selected growers in Europe. The Echium seeds are harvested in late summer, dried and thoroughly cleaned before the oil is extracted. After extraction, a rigorous refining process ensures the production of a clean, colourless and neutral-tasting oil. go to web site all fish oil benefits

Novel Food Status “In November 2009, the European Commission acknowledged that our Refined Echium oil fully complies with the Novel Food Legislation, granting it novel food status. This means that our Refined Echium oil is safe for human consumption and can be supplied to the food and supplement industry in the European Union. Up until this point, the oil was only being sold and used for cosmetic applications,” noted Marianne Warnaer, Bioriginal’s Key Account Manager. Refined Echium oil provides a unique composition of essential fatty acids (EFAs), a combination of beneficial omega-3, -6 and -9. As stated, the oil is rich in alpha-linolenic acid (33%) and gamma-linolenic acid (12%), and also contains a minimum of 12% stearidonic acid, the precursor of EPA. “Because of its unique fatty acid content, our Refined Echium oil is marketed under the Bioriginal brand name: BioMega SDA,” added Warnaer.

Fish Oil Benefits Derived from EPA Fish oil has been given a lot of attention during the last decade . . . and rightfully so! When considering the large body of scientific evidence, the most well documented benefits of fish oil are those in the area of coronary vascular disease (CVD). The contributors to these benefits have been shown to be the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In recent years, it has become clear that ERA and DHA might exert different physiological roles. DHA seems to be a more structural molecule, present in the brain, retina and semen. DHA can be converted in the body to ERA, but very little EPAto DHA conversion takes place, at least in the liver and red blood cells. EPA, however, can be converted to eicosanoids, bioactive anti-inflammatory molecules. These eicosanoids are believed to be the major driver behind the CVD benefits derived from taking fish oil.

SDA Readily Converted to EPA With EPA being a major precursor of anti-inflammatory eicosanoids, any molecule that leads to higher EPA concentrations in the body is likely to contribute to these health benefits. ALA is at the top of the n-3 pathway and is considered to be truly essential (Figure 1). The body can convert this molecule to EPA; however, only 2-5% of ALA molecules are turned into ERA. This conversion is catalysed by the enzyme, delta-6-desaturase (D6D), which is rate limiting in humans. SDA overcomes this problem, as D6D in vivo is not needed to synthesize EPA. Conversion rates of SDA to EPA are in the range of about 20-30%, which is substantially higher than ALA. This has also been confirmed by studies that show that 3 ?? SDA provides the same physiological effects as 1?? EPA, as measured by the omega-3 index, a CVD risk factor indicator, and serum triglycerides. go to website all fish oil benefits

Anti-inflammatory Properties of GLA As well as exceptionally high levels of SDA, Echium oil also contains a considerable amount of GLA. GLA is easily converted to dihomo-GLA, from which the body can make n-6-based anti-inflammatory eicosanoids. A lot of evidence regarding the reduction of inflammation has been collected in the areas of skin and joint health. However, GLA also affects CVD parameters. Hypertensive patients that were treated with GLA showed a drop in blood pressure of approximately 6-16%, along with lowered VLDL and LDL cholesterol levels and decreased atherosclerotic lesions.

SDA and GLA Synergy As mentioned above, both SDA (through EPA) and GLA (through dihomo-GLA) produce anti-inflammatory eicosanoids. The question is, do these components show any synergistic effects in the body? Looking at the n-6 pathway, dihomo-GLA can potentially be converted into arachidonic acid (AA). AA, in turn, can then be metabolized to produce pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. Although it is clear from many studies that GLA is safe to consume and shows many benefits, some AA will inevitably be formed and thus be incorporated into our cell membranes. Surprisingly, ERA prevents the formation of AA from dihomo-GLA in humans, creating a full anti-inflammatory set of precursors when consuming Echium oil. Notwithstanding that this makes perfect theoretical sense, it has also been shown in research done under conditions of (physiological) stress and injury. Looking at a variety of different study outcomes, research shows that combinations of GLA and ERA outperformed the individual fatty acids. The combination of GLA and ERA is already being used in clinical food applications to treat lung diseases with inflammatory indications.

Health Areas for Echium Oil Considering the anti- inflammatory properties of Echium oil, its health and well-being applications are diverse and numerous. Broader areas such as immunity and antiinflammation can be combined with more narrow ones, including conditions of the skin and joints. And, based on the combination of ALA, GLA and (the pre-EPA) SDA, brain health, CVD and PMS are also health areas that could be addressed with Echium, as witnessed by the numerous claims that have been submitted to EFSA based on these fatty acids.

[Author Affiliation] For more information Marianne Warnaer Key Account Manager Bioriginal Europe/Asia BV Bosland 40, NL-3258 AC Den Bommel the Netherlands.

Tel. +31 187618020 business@bioriginal.nl www.bioriginal.nl /www.BioMegaSDA.com Warnaer, Marianne