Omega-3s linked to younger biological age
A new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), investigated the association of long chain omega-3 fatty acid blood levels with changes in telomere length, an emerging marker of biological age. The researchers measured telomere length of 608 participants with stable coronary heart disease at baseline and again after 5 years of follow-up. They found individuals in the lowest quartile of DHA+EPA experienced the fastest rate of telomere shortening whereas those in the highest quartile experienced the slowest rate of telomere shortening.Studies have proposed that short telomeres in white blood cells are more likely linked to diseases associated with aging, including cancer, when compared to white blood cells with longer telomeres. Double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trials would be necessary to definitively confirm the link between omega-3 fatty acids and cellular aging.
Farzaneh-Far R, Lin J, Epel E, Harris W, Blackburn E, Whooley M. Association of marine omega-3 fatty acid levels with telomeric aging in patients with coronary heart disease.JAMA 2010;303(3):250-257.
