Fish oil, low calorie diet and meal replacement combo may tackle obesity

In a new study, scientists have found that fish oil combined with meal replacement, and a calorie-restricted diet can be effective weight management and improvements in metabolic syndrome.

Global nutrition company Herbalife released data from first clinical study of its kind in partnership with Taipei Medical University, and results show that over a 12-week period, participants lost, on average, 4.5kg in weight, 6.5cm in waist circumference, and had a 2.5 percent reduction in body fat percentage. In addition, the fasting blood glucose level, the triglyceride level, and the low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDLc) level were also controlled by this method.

David Heber, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.S.N. - chairman of the Herbalife Nutrition Institute and the Nutrition Advisory Board, said, "Metabolic syndrome, which is characterised by increase in waist circumference, fasting blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure, increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Among Asians, this condition is increasingly common even at normal body weights."

"The clinical research conducted in partnership between Herbalife and Taipei Medical University is an important study that demonstrates the effectiveness of combining meal replacement and Omega-3 fatty acids for weight management plan in subjects with metabolic syndrome. Obesity and the consequent metabolic syndrome, poses significant physical and economic burdens, with Asia being the epicenter of this global epidemic. This study and other research conducted by the company are Herbalife's contribution to help combat the global obesity epidemic."

The results are published in the Journal of Functional Foods and the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.