Fight Your Age With Fish Oil; Omega-3

By Margarita Nahapetyan

Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil may be the true "elixir of youth" and could slow the process of aging, scientists at the University of California at San Francisco have found.

Cardiologists claim that patients with cardiovascular disease who have high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood have a lower rate of shortening of telomere length, when compared with similar heart patients who have the lowest levels of omega-3 fatty acids. A telomere is a structure at the end of a chromosome that is responsible for the replication and stability of the chromosome. Shortening of the telomere means that the cell is getting older. Scientists have been analyzing various substances, such as vitamins, to find out if they have an impact on slowing the telomere shortening rate.

In the new study, scientists from the UC and other hospitals measured telomere length in 608 adult individuals (the majority of them male), who had previously been diagnosed with heart attacks and coronary-artery blockage. All of the patients were followed up to six years. At the end it was revealed that those patients who had the lowest blood levels of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), the two omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, experienced the fastest rate of telomere shortening over the period of five years, while the patients who had the highest levels of DHA and EPA in their white blood cells demonstrated the slowest rate of telomere shortening. The experts noted that omega-3 fatty acids were associated with less telomere shortening regardless of patients' age, their smoking status or the presence of type 2 diabetes.

"What we are demonstrating is a potentially new link between omega-3 fatty acids and the aging process," said Ramin Farzaneh-Far, a clinical cardiologist and assistant medical professor at University of California and San Francisco General Hospital, who is the principal author of the study.

Previous research has demonstrated that omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial to heart health and are associated with better survival after a heart attack. The American Heart Association recommends that individuals increase the intake of oily fish, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids, or the use of omega-3 fatty acid supplements in order to prevent and treat heart-related issues. Omega-3 fats protect people from developing blood clots and heart attack by lowering blood fat levels, reducing inflammation, and protect against irregular heartbeats that are linked to sudden cardiac death. Taking fish oil supplements is also said to protect against mental decline, and prevent age-related changes in the eye that can lead to blindness. Good sources of Omega 3 fatty acids are salmon, sardines, herring, anchovies, flaxseed, linseed, walnuts, hazelnuts and eggs.

The new findings are published in the last issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.