27/10/2017: Aker BioMarine releases a global health campaign to draw attention to chronic lack of omega-3s in people’s diet

“The truth is not always what it seems”

With this message, Aker BioMarine launches a global health awareness film starring a young woman, Maria, living an active life in the big city. Her daily routines include hardcore exercise and a balanced diet.
 

Image credit: Aker BioMarine

Seemingly, Maria’s lifestyle ticks all the right boxes and gets her five stars on the health chart. She gets a rude awakening as she goes back to her roots and visits her family in Greenland, just to discover the imbalanced life she has been living the last years. Maria’s daily habits are simply not enough to maintain a truly healthy and balanced life.
  

Finding the right fats
The hypothesis of a possible relationship between omega-3 consumption and reduced risk of heart disease appeared in the late 70’s when two Danish scientists sought to understand how the Greenland Inuits could eat a high fat diet and still have low levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.

“To set the scene, we travelled back to a remote area in Greenland. We followed a family living in Kapisillit, a fishing village, to experience first-hand how they live as one with nature, unaffected by the modern Western diet and lifestyle,” says Per-Olav Sørensen, the Norwegian award-winning director of the film.

“With this raw scenic film, we want to touch a nerve and make people reflect on their own lives, and find the motivation to improve life balance,” says Mr Sørensen.

Awareness is key
Statistics show that we are becoming unhealthier because of the lifestyles we choose to live. A recent study published in Nutrients, compared data from the United States and Germany and concluded that despite adequate knowledge of the health benefits and food sources of omega-3, 98 percent of the participants fell below the optimal range.

“Having insufficient omega-3 levels puts us at higher risk for chronic disease, such as heart disease, suboptimal brain function, increased likelihood for major depression, and other health issues,” says Dr Nils Hoem, Chief Scientist at Aker BioMarine.

A recent report from the World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health paints a gloomy picture that during the next 15 years healthcare costs related to treating lifestyle diseases that can be avoided by consuming more omega-3s will accumulate to more than 22 trillion dollars globally.

“Education is key when it comes to preventing these type of lifestyle diseases, which is why we are making awareness a priority. Finding the right balance is key to putting us on the right track of becoming healthier,” says Dr Hoem.

Sharing the knowledge
To create positive change, Aker BioMarine, a leading supplier of krill-derived products to the consumer health and wellness and animal nutrition markets, is working with industry partners to reach consumers through their channels and network.

The first step to creating change is to drive awareness and to that end, the campaign is encouraging everyone to take some time to reflect on their own life balance and pay it forward by sharing the film.

See the video, HERE.

Visit the Aker BioMarine website, HERE.

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