Consumers Missing Essential Nutrients in Their Daily Diets

Product Purity is a Primary Concern When Choosing Supplements

EDISON, N.J., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ — Nearly 50 percent of respondents to a survey about dietary supplement habits feel that they or their families are missing out on essential nutrients in their daily diets and the majority (63%) believe they are missing omega 3s, essential fatty acids. Over 70 percent do not purchase omega 3 fish oil supplements to address what they are missing in their diet. The survey was conducted by Equation Research on behalf of Croda, a world leader in natural based specialty ingredients, including omega 3 fish and plant oil concentrates. In this day and age of food safety issues from peanut recalls to mercury scares in fish, it is not surprising that among those who choose dietary supplements, purity of product is a primary concern.

Understanding of the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids dates back decades when studies showed that cultures whose diets included high-fat fish had unusually low rates of heart disease. Research showed that it was the fat in the fish — omega 3 fatty acids — that had a cardioprotective benefit, along with other health benefits. Studies show that a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids helps lower triglycerides and increase HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) while also preventing blood from clotting and reducing blood pressure. Omega 3 fatty acids may also have an anti-inflammatory affect, which can have a positive impact on conditions as far-ranging as Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis and several skin conditions. Studies also indicate that omega 3 fatty acids are important to brain development in children.

Unfortunately, the American diet typically does not include the amount of fish necessary to obtain adequate amounts of omega 3s. According to the Croda survey, consumers are aware they are missing omega 3s from their diet, yet only 26 percent of consumers and their families take a fish oil, a good source of omega 3 fatty acids.

Cost, lack of perceived need and confusion are primary barriers for consumers when deciding to take dietary supplements, such as fish oil. Of those who take fish oil supplements as an additional source for omega 3 fatty acids, 94 percent look for assurances of purity as the most important factor when choosing a particular supplement.

“Supplementation is an important option to help Americans achieve the nutrients they need in order to reduce the impact of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Joseph D. Brasco, MD, Center for Colon and Digestive Disease and author of “Restoring Your Digestive Health.” “It is essential that the public be provided with simple and easy-to-understand information about purity and the source of product, appropriate dosing and how and when to add supplements to a healthy diet so that we can better use nutrition to stave off disease.”

“Not all fish oils are created equal. Consumers should look for products that meet a high standard for purity and potency such as Garden of Life products containing PureMax fish oils,” Karen Chen, Marketing Manager, Croda Health Care. “Garden of Life has the option to provide its customers a variety of grades of fish oil but they choose PureMax fish oils because the PureMax label represents purity that exceeds regulatory requirements.”

PureMax fish oils use a proprietary molecular distillation process delivering pure, potent fish oil which surpasses every industry standard.

For more information about fish oils, how to identify a pure source for omega 3 fatty acids and to learn what dose is right for you, visit www.puremax.com for more information.

About Croda

Croda Health Care is a key marketing division of Croda International Plc, a U.K.-based manufacturer and world-wide supplier to the Personal Care, Home Care and Functional Specialties, Health Care, and Manufacturing Industries. Providing naturally-derived, high quality actives and excipients for pharmaceutical, nutritional and animal health markets, the Health Care division focuses on delivering condition and application-specific solutions to meet the stringent technical, quality and market requirements of these industries. The company’s extensive range of health care ingredients includes essential fatty acids, high purity lipids, drug delivery systems and protein derivatives. Globally Croda International Plc achieved worldwide sales of just over 886m pounds Sterling (eq. $1.8 billion). The group employs over 4000 people worldwide, with an extensive sales and distribution network covering more than 60 countries.

http://www.croda.com/

Source: Croda Health Care

CONTACT: Christina Witz, MWW Group, +1-212-827-3753, cwitz@mww.com

Web Site: http://www.croda.com/