Prevent diabetes and possibly reduce obesity with herring milt. These are the findings of an article by Dr. Jacques Gagnon published on August 3 in Marine Drugs, a publication open to researchers from all over the world whose scientific articles are peer-reviewed. The work of the scientific director of the fisheries and marine products sector of the Valorēs research centre focuses on marine by-products (production residues) and their use, particularly in the medical field.

The development of resources is the mission of the Valorēs Research Center and the work of our researchers creates extraordinary opportunities and new sources of potential wealth with products that would normally be destined for the trash.

Valorēs general manager Daniel Blanchard

Dr. Gagnon's research project wanted to validate whether the replacement of certain proteins by proteins contained in herring milt would have an impact on the health of mice subjected to a diet high in fat. After 10 weeks, the control group demonstrated signs of obesity, high blood glucose and dysfunction of the insulin-producing pancreas. These mice became diabetic. In contrast, mice on the same diet, but with proteins derived from herring milt not only developed a better insulin response, but also had a lower rate of obesity, an unexpected collateral result that opens up another world of possibilities for an increasingly chronically overweight population. 

The VALORĒS Research Center, located in Shippagan, works closely with industry to find outlets for their co-products. Scientific director of the fisheries and marine by-product component at Valorēs, Dr. Jacques Gagnon is one of the three recipients of the 2012 R3 Gala award from the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF). 

For the details of the published scientific research, you can follow this link.