MIGDAL HA'EMEQ, Israel, Dec. 3, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Enzymotec Ltd. (Nasdaq:ENZY), a developer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative bio-active lipid ingredients, announced today the acceptance for future publication of its clinical study results evaluating the health benefits of K-REAL™, krill oil, compared with fish oil.
The article manuscript titled "Enhanced increase of omega-3 index in healthy individuals with response to 4-week n-3 fatty acid supplementation from krill oil versus fish oil" was accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed "Journal of Lipids in Health and Disease." The study was conducted by the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, Winnipeg, Canada.
Enzymotec's double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study included three treatments periods. Each treatment period lasted four weeks and was separated by washout phases of eight weeks. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of 500 mg K-REAL™ with three capsules taken in the morning and three at night. Differences between krill oil, fish oil, and placebo control interventions were analyzed.
Study results indicate that K-REAL™, krill oil, is more effective than fish oil in reducing n-6:n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios, and improving the level of EPA and DHA accumulated in the red blood cells (omega-3 index). Due to structural differences, bioavailability of krill oil, a phospholipid based oil, could be higher than fish oil, a triglyceride-based oil, conferring properties that render it more effective than fish oil in increasing omega-3 index and thereby, reducing cardiovascular disease risk.
"We are pleased with the results of the study which are consistent with previous clinical studies on other ingredients developed and manufactured by Enzymotec," said Dr. Ariel Katz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Enzymotec Ltd. "We will continue to capitalize on consumer trends towards supplementing their diets with premium health and wellness products like our K-REAL™, krill oil."
"We are very pleased with the results of this study. The assumption that omega-3 fatty acids are better absorbed when they are bound to phospholipids rather than triglycerides, was suggested as one of the main benefits of krill oil. However, nobody was able to show it so far. This is the first well designed study proving that consumption of krill oil is more efficient than fish oil in elevating the level of omega-3 fatty acids in the red blood cells," said Dr. Peter Jones, the principal investigator of this study.
K-REAL™ is a family of solutions extracted from sustained Antarctic Krill. It is comprised from a mixture of natural phospholipids conjugated to EPA and DHA, astaxanthin and TG with EPA and DHA. K-REAL™ by Enzymotec has been proven to be significantly more effective than fish oil in increasing omega-3 index.
About Enzymotec Ltd.
Enzymotec is a leading global supplier of specialty lipid-based products and solutions. The Company develops, manufactures and markets innovative bio-functional lipid ingredients, as well as final products, based on sophisticated processes and technologies.
Forward Looking Statement
This release may contain forward-looking statements, which express the current beliefs and expectations of Company management. Such statements involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences the following risks: a high proportion of the sales of our InFat product is sold to end users by a single company in China; we rely on our Swedish joint venture partner to manufacture InFat, and certain matters related to the joint venture are or, based on communications from our joint venture partner, are the subject of disagreement; our gross profits may be adversely affected if we are only able to obtain lower quality krill meal; our ability to obtain krill may be affected by conservation regulation or initiatives; we are dependent on a single facility that houses the majority of our operations; we may not be able to expand our production or processing capabilities or satisfy growing demand; our product development cycle is lengthy and uncertain, and our development or commercialization efforts for our products may be unsuccessful; we are subject to significant and increasing government regulations regarding the sale and marketing of our products; we may not be able to protect our proprietary technology or prevent its unauthorized use by third parties; we are currently subject to litigation, and in the future may become subject to additional litigation, regarding intellectual property rights; and other factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's final prospectus for its initial public offering filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 30, 2013. Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.