“This is the biggest study ever done on omega 3s and triglycerides. For everybody who asks the question of why there is not enough science about krill, we can point to this study,” said Matts Johansen, CEO of AkerBiomarine. Aker, which is based in Oslo, Norway, is a vertically integrated krill supplier that brings in about 70% of the world’s harvest of krill via a dedicated fishing fleet that operates out of Montevideo, Uruguay. Aker processes its krill oil ingredients at a plant in Houston.
The new study Johansen is pointing to is a new statistical analysis of data from earlier studies done with a krill oil ingredient that was being developed as a drug. The earlier studies had shown good results but also an unexpectedly high placebo effect. The authors of this new study said the data of the phase 3 trials were pooled and analyzed via a statistical plan that had been finalized before the initial results of the trials came in.
The study was published recently in the journal Cardiology. It was the work of a team led by Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, of Tufts University in Boston.
Studies done in patients with severe hyperlipidemia
The two earlier trials together had enrolled more that 500 patients and were conducted from early 2018 to early 2020. The researchers were looking at the effects of a novel krill oil formulation that included both omega-3s in phospholipid form as well as in free fatty acid form.
They recruited their study populations from patients whose fasting TG levels ranged from 500 to 1500 mg/dL, with or without stable treatment with statins, fibrates, or other agents to lower cholesterol levels. The main outcome was the reduction in blood trigylceride levels at 12 weeks, with persistence at 26 weeks as a secondary measure. The original studies randomized the subjects at a 2.5:1 ration in favor of the krill oil intervention.