Omega-3 supplements seem to slow ageing process, Swiss study finds

The researchers wanted to know how omega-3 may work alongside vitamin D supplements and exercise among older people. Keystone-SDA

Taking a daily omega-3 supplement appears to slow down the rate of biological ageing by up to four months, according to a study by researchers at the University of Zurich.

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Healthy older people who took one gram of the essential fatty acid for three years aged three months less than others on the trial, as measured by biological markers. Additional vitamin D and regular exercise boosted the effect to nearly four months, researchers at the University of Zurich found. The results were published in the journal Nature Aging. Omega-3 fatty acids are found naturally in salmon and spinach, for example.

For the study, the researchers analysed data of 777 Swiss participants aged 70 to 91 in the “Do Health Study”, the largest ageing study in Europe. The researchers divided the study participants into eight different groups. Each of the groups received a different therapy for three years: omega-3, vitamin D and an exercise programme, as well as combinations of these therapies. One group received a placebo.

Biological clock measured

The biological age of the study participants was measured before and after the intervention. The researchers used so-called epigenetic clocks to measure age. These record chemical changes in the DNA molecule known as methylation and thus quantify the difference between biological and chronological ageing.

When taking omega-3 fatty acids, ageing slowed down by 2.9 to 3.8 months over a three-year period. This was independent of gender, age and body mass index. However, there is no generally recognised gold standard for measuring biological age, as the researchers admitted.

In research on animals, the intake of vitamin D or omega-3 had already shown promising results in slowing down biological ageing. Whether these measures also work in humans was previously unclear.

Translated from German by DeepL/sb

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