What are Green Lipped Mussels and Why would you want to feed them?

  • Green Lipped Mussels are a food source of Omega 3's and a unique combo of fatty acids not found in other marine or plant life.  
  • They can be used to reduce pain, as a natural anti-inflammatory, they are an excellent source of glucosamine/chondroitin.
  • They contain a huge variety of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, omega 3 fats, antioxidants, enzymes plus much more.

You can get Green Lipped Mussels in Foods, Treats or Add on to your foods.  Both Ziwi Peak and Steve’s Real Food Lamu have Green Lipped Mussels in their food so if you do want to worry about adding a treat, Ziwi Peak or Steve’s Lamu would be the way to go.  Northwest Naturals just came out with a Green Lipped Mussel treat plus True Leaf also has a treat form.  Super Snouts and Primal Frozen Elixir have an add on for your bowl.  

**Now the science and technical information. 

The reality is that all types of omega-3 fatty acids lower inflammation by tying up the enzymes (lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase) that make inflammatory compounds (leukotrienes and prostaglandins) in the body. 

However, ETA can go one step further than this. The ETA in Green Lipped Mussels works at the gene level to reduce the production of cyclooxygenase.

ETA also reduces the formation of Arachidonic Acid, a type of omega-6 fatty acid that the body uses to produce the inflammatory compounds. Instead of making Arachidonic Acid, an enzyme called delta-5-desaturase (d5d) uses the ETA to make EPA (the same omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil)!

In the study, animals with existing inflammatory conditions such as arthritis were studied and recorded before and after taking a range of omega-3 supplements. 

The effectiveness of the various omega-3 supplements was tested by looking at the amount of swelling, as well as using a standardized arthritis score. 

This examined things like how sensitive the animal’s feet were, how much they groomed their inflamed paws, and how mobile the animals were. 

The study showed that the ETA rich oil from the Green Lipped Mussel was clearly superior to other omega-3 sources at lessening inflammation.

The oil from the Green Lipped Mussel lowered the animals’ arthritis scores by a range of 42-75%, compared to a reduction of only 31% from conventional omega-3 sources. 

It also reduced rear paw swelling by 96-98% compared to a reduction of only 7-38% from common omega-3s.

In addition to containing ETA, Green Lipped Mussels are also a substantial source of glycosaminoglycans. In short, these amino sugars are raw materials or building blocks that are used by cells to ensure healthy joints.

There are many other food sources like Anchovies, Bluefish, Herring, Mackerel, Salmon (wild has more Omega-3s than farmed), Sardines, Sturgeon, Lake trout, Tuna, but Green Lipped Mussels are a potent source of a rare omega-3 fatty acid called Eicosatetraenoic Acid (ETA)

Yes they do smell and if you or your pet is allergic to shellfish you should stay away from these products. 

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