The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) has launched its Clinical Trials Database, a compilation of the nearly 4,000 interventional human studies on EPA and DHA, at its GOED Exchange conference held in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

In addition to collecting the research, thousands of hours were spent by the team of scientists to extract data based on significance and relevance, in order to provide faster and easier access to the best and most specific data available.

“The two main sections of the database include both an abstract and advanced search,” said Ellen Schutt, executive director of GOED. “We can now follow influential researchers, specific benefits, and more, filtering through multiple criteria at once based on population sizes and how connected a search term is to a field.”

While the abstract provides general overviews, in a general “pulse check” that users can utilize at the beginning of a search, the Advanced Search tool provides more particular components. “The database provides easier access compared to other search tools, and a meaningful comparison of where one study stands compared to the totality of evidence, something that would take months of effort through more traditional academic search platforms,” Schutt said.

The advanced search tool section includes fields such: population sizes; the demographics of a study population (age, gender, etc.); participant characteristics such as diseases and medical history, the type of intervention, type of omega-3 dosage, and presence of placebo; study length and year of publication; and topline results.

Unlike PubMed, GOED’s Clinical Study Database includes data on every outcome in a study, not just what’s covered in the abstract. The team filtered through irrelevant studies and developed a pre-screened article list. Complex search results are downloadable and shareable, and the interface can allow users to quickly scan the effects of omega-3s on a desired biomarker, or effects on a population of interest.

Focal Points
Schutt also highlighted some of GOED’s key areas of interest as a trade association that serve as guideposts for future and present activities. There are key challenges still facing the omega-3s industry as a whole.

Translating science to public health literacy, communicating using all channels, and achieving greater clarity in product labels will all continue to be key priorities, Schutt said. This involves ramping up outreach through alwaysomega3s.com, and the Clinical Study Database, which both have the primary goal of translating to consumer messaging.

“I think there are many geographies and consumers we still need to reach further out to, but we should be proud of what we’ve done so far,” Schutt said. “Making labels clear is probably the most important point to cover. Omega-3s have never been affected by exaggerated claims in the same way as other areas, but consumer confusion is still rampant. We just designed a consumer infographic on how to read a supplement label, and talk a lot these days about transparency, such as by specifying the content of omega-3s versus distinguishing EPA and DHA content.”

Establishing consumption guidelines for omega-3s will continue to be another key focus in the years ahead. “We still don’t even have a DRI [daily recommended intake] in the U.S. or Canada. There is no Codex nutrient reference value. This discussion may be a lot more political than it is scientific, so while we are focused on this, it may not be within the control of the industry,” Schutt said.

Policing the industry is the second part of GOED’s continuous dual mission, she added. “We built this organization based on policing the quality of ingredients. Adhering to our monograph is a condition of membership, and our randomized testing program compares products against the monograph, but there’s still work to be done on negative marketing claims. If consumers see negative claims one company makes about its competitors they might be put off of omega-3s on the whole.”

GOED will continue to push for further study on safety and efficacy, and will stay involved in the conversation surrounding such research, Schutt said. “It’s about balancing conversations about the science. We haven’t talked a lot about safety issues because there really aren’t any. We’re lucky as an industry to have the amount of scientific backing that we do, but there are many emerging areas and more to be done, and the Clinical Trials Database will help to make this process easier.”

Lastly, Schutt said that the organization will need to continue to push for regulatory guidelines as they pertain to purity. “We’ve done work to educate the industry, retailers, and anyone who handles omega-3s on issues such as oxidation throughout the entire manufacturing process. As agencies around the world develop guidelines, we try to make sure they know what they can do based on the science … Contaminants are becoming more of a concern and EU regulations on contaminants are coming this year. What we can do proactively is potentially to add some contaminant requirements to our monograph in order to continue to support the statement that we represent quality in the omega-3s industry.”