Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Sanofi-Aventis’ Cenovis: Helping Bridge the Omega-3 Gap



We have so many unique foods in Asia but, surprisingly, when it comes to nutrition, we still come short when it comes to Omega-3 intake. According to studies, people in Western nations like Australia, the UK and the US have higher consumer awareness of Omega-3 as compared to residents of Asian countries.

With the aim to increase awareness and understanding of Omega-3 and its benefits, Sanofi-Aventis, makers of Cenovis Fish Oil has recently launched the Omega-3 Academy Asia, a newly-formed body of medical experts.


Rachelle Gamboa, Sanofi-Aventis’ marketing manager, shares that in addition to the significant research and development invested into the production of effective healthcare solutions, their company also invests “a great deal of time and resource into providing vital consumer and healthcare professional information and support to improve the health and well‐being of people across Asia, and the rest of the world.”

The Omega-3 Academy Asia is composed of experts from Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines covering a broad range of areas including clinical nutrition, cardiology, family health and diabetology.


Cardiologist Dr. Eugene Reyes (rightmost in photo) affirms that the role of the academy is to provide consumers with education, research, and service targeted to help consumers and healthcare professionals alike about the health benefits of fish oil and Omega-3. 

“We want to address the increasing trend towards Western-style fast food diets as well as the decreasing fresh fish consumption among the Asian population,” which, he points out are contributing to the rising incidences of coronary heart disease and stroke and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and many more.

During the launch, endocrinologist Dr. Tommy Ty-Willing (leftmost in photo) explained the importance of Omega-3 in one’s diet as it can have a positive impact on heart health, joints issues, brain development, and improving vision. It can also help counteract depression and other emerging areas of research such as ADHD, Alzheimer’s, etc. Omega-3 can also aid in the neurodevelopment of preterm infants.

In general, Omega-3 intake, he says, should be 500mg per day. But for those with heart disease, it is best to take 1000mg of Omega-3 a day or eat two to three servings of fish a week. Good sources include tuna, sardines, herring, salmon, and coldwater fish.


Since not everyone like eating fish as often as needed, health professionals recommend taking an Omega-3 fish oil supplement like Cenovis which has scientifically proven benefits on brain development and health in addition to joint and heart health.

Cenovis Fish Oil costs less than P10 per capsule. The oil comes from Peruvian waters, one of the world’s cleanest seas. They are individually packed for freshness. And since the fish oil extraction is done in a highly advanced and sanitary process in Norway, the capsules are odorless and have no fishy aftertaste.

Parents who want to give Cenovis to their kids can cut a small hole on top of the capsule and give the liquid in a spoon. I did just that when I tried Cenovis on my son and, surprisingly, the capsule contents smelled like orange and not the fishy stink that I’m sure people in my generation are very much familiar with. After all, I also had to endure taking fish oil during my childhood because my mom said it’s good for me. It's great that now, medical experts are also saying that :)

Learn more about Omega-3 by visiting the Omega-3 Academy Asia and the Cenovis Facebook page.

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