April 24, 2008

2 Min Read
News Beat

Fish oil really makes you smarter
Scientific evidence continues to mount backing fish oil?s positive effects on a variety of conditions. Scottish researchers discovered that oily fish and supplements can slow the brain?s aging process and protect against Alzheimer?s disease and other forms of dementia.

Scientists at the Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh performed IQ tests on a group of 300 subjects who took part in a national IQ survey in 1947 at age 11. Tested again when they were 64, the subjects who reported consuming oily fish or supplements scored 13 percent higher than those who had not. The study was published in the December edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Another study at Texas A&M University showed that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils may prevent the development of colon cancer. In the preclinical study, rats received dietary treatments that differed only in the type of fat included: corn oil, olive oil or fish oil. Only the fish oil showed a protective effect against the initiation and development of tumor cells in the colon, according to study details in the Sept. 15 issue of Cancer Research.

Select Nutrition acquired by UNFI
United Natural Foods Inc. ended 2004 by acquiring Select Nutrition Distributors Inc., which serves 5,000 customers from warehouses in Philadelphia and Visalia, Calif. Headquartered in Uniondale, N.Y., Select Nutrition represents more than 450 manufacturers in branded vitamins, herbs, dietary supplements and personal care. Terms of the acquisition weren?t disclosed.

December was a good month for Dayville, Conn.-based UNFI, which also renewed its three-year distribution agreement with Whole Foods Market Inc. and made Forbes magazine?s list of the best-managed companies in America. A five-year annualized total return of 45.5 percent prompted UNFI?s position as the best-managed company among food marketers. Even Whole Foods, at 34.6 percent, couldn?t match that figure, which factors in stock performance, short- and long-term earnings growth and corporate practices. Results appeared in Forbes? Jan. 10 issue.

Wild Oats board elects new chairman
Robert Miller has been elected nonexecutive chairman of Wild Oats Markets Inc., the Boulder, Colo., natural grocer announced. He replaces John Shields, who continues on Wild Oats? board despite stepping down as chair.

Miller also serves as nonexecutive chairman of the board of Rite Aid Corp., where he was chief executive officer from 1999 to 2003. Before that, he was vice chairman and chief operating officer of The Kroger Co. Kroger acquired Fred Meyer Inc., which Miller served for eight years as CEO, in 1999. He also spent 30 years at Albertsons.

Natural Foods Merchandiser volume XXVI/number 2/p. 7

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