GOED: Omega-3 clinical trials database will boost claims, help identify research gaps

This content item was originally published on www.nutraingredients-latam.com, a William Reed online publication.

11-Nov-2019 - Last updated on 28-Sep-2021 at 13:53 GMT

A database that includes 4,000-plus clinical trials on EPA and DHA omega-3s will help companies with claims substantiation, and provide ready access to significant scientific data to counter negative consumer media articles, says GOED’s executive director.

Speaking with NutraIngredients-USA at SupplySide West 2019, Ellen Schutt explained: “We have been working on this a long time. The challenge is that there is so much research on omega-3s, to be able to understand the nuances and be on top of all the different pieces of research is a challenge for us and our members, and for the industry in general.

“There are 4,000 plus human studies on omega-3s and we have now cataloged all of those, and we know if they are positive, negative, or neutral […] and we know that there are 75 studies on cognitive decline, and there are x number of studies on blood pressure, etc.

“The way we see this helping industry is that if you want to develop a new product it will help you with claims substantiation. It will also help us if there is a negative media article in the consumer media that says omega-3s don’t work, then we can say, ‘well, they really do and let us show you why or how’. We also think it will help us understand the research gaps […] That will help industry that wants to invest in research, and it will also help research institutions,” said Schutt.

The first phase in the process was to catalog all the studies, and the second phase is to extract the data. “[We want to be able to say], in post-menopausal women [for example] who took this much EPA and DHA, this is what happened. This is where it gets really exciting.”

GOED Exchange 2020

The database will be showcased for the first time at the GOED Exchange in Barcelona in February 2020.

“What we’re doing between now and February is building some version of the user interface, so it’s not going to be finished but we want to be able to show beyond the functionality, how could you interact with this so people can understand what they can really get from this and how it will work,” said Schutt.

“We’re planning to use the GOED Exchange as a mid-point in this whole process, so we can get feedback from them [attendees] and understand what else we need to include as we finish it.”

For more information about the GOED Exchange, please watch the video below: