mice” weighed 47 grams. The difference may
not sound so dramatic, but in the mouse world,
that is a major difference. Höper and her col-
leagues also noted that the fat content in the
livers of the mice that received copepod oil was
lower than in those who did not get the oil – a
sign of healthier animals compared with those
who only ate fatty food.
Fewer lifestyle diseases
Anje Höper’s study also showed that the ani-
mals that only received fatty mouse feed had a
precursor of diabetes, whereas this was much
less pronounced in the mice that received cope-
pod oil in their diet.
“What’s interesting is that the study shows
that copepod oil helps those who are already
overweight. Themice that were given the oil die-
tary supplement from the seventh week, devel-
oped similarly to those that had received the oil
from the start. In fact, other UiT researchers
(Karl-Erik Eilertsen and his colleagues, editor’s
note) have previously shown that copepod oil
may reduce atherosclerosis in mice with vascu-
lar disease.
If all these findings can be transferred to
humans, this will prove very interesting for
people who are overweight. Reduced intra-abdominal fat may be beneficial in terms of
preventing diseases like diabetes, cardiovascu-
lar disease and high blood pressure. But Höper
points out that these findings are based only
on preliminary studies in mice, and that we
shouldn’t just take it for granted that this oil,
commercially available as Calanus Oil capsules
at health food stores, has been proven to be a
diet pill.
Tested the oil on humans
Professor Rolf Jorde at UiT agrees. In fact, he
has conducted a study with the participation of
100 subjects. Half received Calanus Oil daily for
one year, while the others just got “placebo oil”.
After a year had passed, it was not possible to
say that those who had taken Calanus Oil had
lost more stomach fat than the others
“The subjects took a CT scan, where we
measured the amount of intra-abdominal fat,
and we saw no significant reduction in those
who had taken the oil supplement,” says Jorde,
but he is not completely negative.
“Our results were not conclusive. It may be
that changes will occur after several years of
consuming Calanus Oil, and we can’t say any-
thing about whether Calanus Oil might have
other positive effects, like slowing the pace of
cardiovascular disease,” explains Jorde. He adds
that the study could have had different results if
there had been more subjects, or if it had been
conducted over several years.
Rich in healthy fat
The reason why copepod oil has such a positive
effect on the fat cells in mice, has not yet been
conclusively determined.
According to the Institute of Marine
Research, the calanus copepod contains low lev-
els of pollutants, and is rich in healthy marine
fats (polyunsaturated fatty acids like Omega-3).
Höper believes they may affect how the body
processes sugar and stores fat, and may lower
the fat content in the blood. She adds that the oil
also contains other fatty acids and antioxidants.
Additionally, the fatty acids in Calanus Oil are
bound in a special way, which is different com-
pared with other dietary supplements such as
cod liver oil capsules or seal oil.
“We are planning to conduct follow-up
studies, where one of the things we will be
looking at is what effect this oil can have on the
heart.”
The full Latin name of the calanus copepod is Calanus finmarchicus, and it can grow to up to 3 millimetres. It
has a lifespan of about one year and spawns in the spring. The calanus copepod eats phytoplankton. Photo:
Terje van der Meeren, Institute of Marine Research
Calanus copecod:
• The calanus copepod is abundant in the
Atlantic Ocean.
• It is mainly found in the Norwegian
Sea, where it constitutes the bulk of the
zooplankton.
• It is so abundant in the Arctic that it can be
called the mosquito of the sea.
• Herring, smelt, mackerel, blue whiting and
cod feed on the calanus copepod.
• Harvesting these copepods is currently
prohibited, but dispensations are given for
the harvest of up to 1,000 tonnes annually.
• This activity is expected to increase in
the coming years, and the authorities are
currently developing a management plan
aimed at starting a more extensive harvest.
• These lipid-rich copepods can be used in
food, pharmaceuticals, health food and
cosmetics.
Source: The Institute of Marine Research
and Report to the Storting (White Paper)
No. 22 (2012–2013),
“The world’s best
seafood nation”
45
labyrint
•
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