Surely we have heard more than once about the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. This compound has a well -documented positive effect on our cardiovascular health, but perhaps its positive impact is more complex (and more extensive).
Stop the clock. A new study has observed that omega-3 fatty acids is able to slow down our epigenetic clock, that is, biological aging. The participants in the study were subject to different treatments that combined not only Omega-3 supplements, but also vitamin D and exercise.
Omega-3. The Omega-3 They are a group of polyunsaturated fatty acids that we usually associate with fish consumption (especially species such as northern north or white tuna, mackerel, salmon, sardines and trout), but which can also be found in other types of food, from Linaza oil nuts, through soybeans or chia seeds.
Over the years, we have found a beneficial impact of omega-3 fats on our cardiovascular health: they decrease the presence of triglycerides (other types of fat present in our blood), as well as the possibility of developing arrhythmias and the accumulation of plate in the arteries. Omega-3 can also help reduce blood pressure.
777 participants. The study conducted A follow -up of 777 participants over three years in the context of the DO-HEALTH project. Participants were 70-year-old or older adults to whom a combination of a gram per day of Omega-3, 2,000 International units (IU) of vitamin D and/or an exercise program at home (three 30 -minute weekly sessions).
The details of the study were published In an article For the magazine Nature Aging.
Four measures. The team used four biological age measures, the “watches” Phenage, Grimage, Grimage2 and Dunedinpace. They observed that the Omega-3 fats had an effect on three of these four measures (Phenage, Grimage2 and Dumedinpace). On the other hand, they did not observe remarkable effects when vitamin D applied as the only treatment.
The team also quantified the measure to which the Omega-3 “slowed down” the passage of time in our body. During the three years of study, those who consumed this supplement saw their aging in the equivalent of Between 2.9 and 3.8 months.
“This result extends our previous findings of the DO-HEALTH study, in which these three factors (Omega-3, vitamin D and exercise) combined had the greatest impact by reducing the risk of cancer and preventing premature fragility in a period of three years, to reduce the rhythm of the biological aging process ”, explained in a press release Heike Bischoff-Ferrari, who led the study.
Stop the clock. Measure ours biological age It is not a simple task. In his research the team combined different measures to achieve a precise image of the real aging of people but even this is, they admit, a strategy with limitations.
That is one of the reasons why the team intends to continue investigating the interactions between the consumption of fatty acids and the improvements in our hope and quality of life. An approach that goes beyond concrete diseases and focuses on something much more generic but of first importance.
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Image | Alesia Kozik / Gabin Vallet
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