Omega-3 fatty acids may slow the aging process. That’s what researchers with the University of California believe.
A team lead by Dr. Farzaneh-Far, a cardiovascular epidemiologist and clinical cardiologist has been looking at people who have cardiovascular disease and include high levels of Omega-3 in their diets.
They have found that a possible benefit of Omega-3 may be the shortening of the length of the telomere. The telomere is a chromosome marker of biological aging.
The telomere appears at the end of a chromosome. It plays a role in the reproduction, the replication and the strength of the chromosome. Because the telomere is impacted by Omega-3, Dr. Far’s team suspects there may be a link between Omega-3 and the aging process we were previously unaware of.
The longer the telomere, the more pronounced the effects of aging.
The University of California San Francisco study states;
Levels of DHA+EPA were associated with less telomere shortening before and after sequential adjustment for established risk factors and potential confounders. Each 1-standard deviation increase in DHA+EPA levels was associated with a 32 percent reduction in the odds of telomere shortening.
Source: JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association