RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of mortality worldwide and imposes a significant social burden on many countries. METHODS: This study assessed the health and economic benefits of omega-3 associated with CVD. The meta-analysis estimated the risk ratio (RR) and absolute risk reduction (ARR), and the economic impact was calculated using direct and indirect costs related to CVD treatments in Korean adults. RESULTS: A total of 33 studies were included in the meta-analysis on CVD outcomes, with 80,426 participants in the intervention group and 80,251 participants in the control group. The meta-analysis determined a significant reduction in omega-3 in CVD (RR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.86~0.97) and ARR (1.48%). Additionally, the subgroup analysis indicated that higher doses and the long-term consumption of omega-3 could further enhance these effects. After applying ARR from meta-analysis to the target population of about 1,167,370 in 2021, the Republic of Korea, it was estimated that omega-3 consumption could result in an economic benefit of KRW 300 billion by subtracting the purchase expenses of omega-3 supplements from the total social cost savings. CONCLUSION: Omega-3 supplements can help to reduce the risk of CVD and subsequent economic benefits in the Republic of Korea.
RESUMO
The objective of this study was to investigate the activation of natural killer (NK) cells and anticancer effects of exo-biopolymer from rice bran cultured with Lentinus edodes [rice bran exo-biopolymer (RBEP)]. Oral administration of RBEP induced the activation of NK cells in a dose-dependent manner. RBEP also prolonged the life spans of mice transplanted with Sarcoma-180 cells and inhibited growing Sarcoma-180 cells in intraperitoneum. Solid tumor growth was also suppressed by oral administration of RBEP in C57/Bl6 mice transplanted with B16/Bl6 melanoma. Intraperitoneal injection of RBEP was more effective than oral administration at the same dosage in mice with transplanted tumor cells. According to this result, when RBEP directly contacts immune cells, the anticancer activity is higher than by indirectly inducing an immune response through oral administration. Therefore, we suggest that the administration of RBEP may be effective for preventing and/or treating cancer through NK cell activation. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the possible mechanisms of the anticancer activity and to investigate the other beneficial effects of RBEP for the development of a new biological response modifier.
