19 Jan
Lovaza™
What is Lovaza?
LOVAZA™ is a drug designed to lower triglycerides. It comes in gel capsule form. Each 1,000 mg capsule contains 900 mg of ethyl esters of omega-3 fatty acids, which are predominantly a combination of EPA and DHA.
Most ordinary supplements available on the market have their EPA and DHA in the triglyceride form. Lovaza’s EPA and DHA are in the ethyl ester form. According to the Lovaza™ website, when converted to their ethyl ester form, EPA and DHA “have been shown to be better absorbed and utilized.”
As reported by manufacturers of Lovaza™, the other major difference between ethyl ester fish oil and traditional fish oil is that ethyl esters have been shown to increase resistance to oxidation (lipid damage). In other words, ordinary fish oil supplements have been shown to increase deterioration of blood lipids. According to the latest research, the ethyl esters of EPA and DHA do not deteriorate blood lipids.
Analysis
Manufacturers of Lovaza™ have super concentrated EPA and DHA in capsule form (10x the amount in Formula III) and put it through a process that converts the fats into ethyl ester forms. They claim that by doing this, the product will lower triglycerides more effectively, and will reduce deterioration of the fats in the blood stream.
Several reasons to be skeptical:
1) Studies pointing to the supposed effectiveness of ethyl ester lipids over natural marine lipids were conducted by GlaxoSmithKline, the drug company behind the patent of Lovaza™. Drug companies are notorious for getting and publishing results that favor their product.
2) Ethyl ester lipids are produced through a complicated highly industrialized process that forever alters the lipid molecule. All in the name to supposedly improve EPA and DHA. How can a product that is made in a laboratory be superior to a natural product used by people for thousands of years? One would suspect that GlaxoSmithKline is claiming the ester ethyl form is superior because the natural form cannot be patented.
3) High doses of EPA and DHA without their naturally-occurring counterparts (cholesterol, other fatty acids, etc) are fabricated products not found in nature. We need only recall what happened with beta-carotene supplements… Studies showed increased cancer in the group taking high doses of beta carotene. Why? Because large amounts of beta carotene, without the other nutrients typically found with it, were causing damage to the cells. Rule of thumb: stick with products that are closest to nature and that are found in concentrations that mimic nature.
4) Side Effects: Some of the most common are: enlarged abdomen, body odor, chest pain, edema, rheumatoid arthritis, arrythmia, cardiac arrest, high blood pressure, constipation, migraine, difficulty swallowing, colitis, fecal incontinence, gastritis, increased appetite, intestinal obstruction, high blood sugar, pancreatitis, and vomiting.
5) Questionable Ingredient: LOVAZA™ capsules contain partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils. In other words, they contain trans fatty acids, the most harmful fat known to man.
Recommendation
Avoid this drug.
Stick with non-synthetic forms of EPA and DHA, unadulterated and in their natural state such as those found in Formula III.
