Omega-3 from seafood keeps your health well into old age

How do we protect our health at an older age??

People are getting older in this day and age. That's why researchers looked at how we can stay healthy even in old age. The experts found that eating omega-3 rich seafood allows for healthy aging.

The scientists at Tufts University in Boston found in their recent research that consuming seafood allows people to grow healthier. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "The BMJ".

Healthy fish in spite of high fat content: The omega-3 in salmon can, among other things, regulate elevated blood lipid levels and thus contribute to a healthy aging. (Image: bit24 / fotolia.com)

What is healthy aging?

Healthy aging is defined by the experts as a meaningful life expectancy without chronic diseases and with intact physical and mental function. The problem of healthy aging is becoming increasingly important as the population in many countries around the world is rapidly aging and the rate of chronic diseases is increasing.

Many results from studies were inconsistent

More and more research is therefore investigating what constitutes healthy aging. In this regard, studies on the relationship between omega-3 fatty acids and age-related chronic diseases are somewhat inconsistent. For example, some studies have found an inverse relationship between the consumption of omega-3 and cardiovascular disease. However, other studies have found that omega-3 uptake correlates with a higher incidence of prostate cancer. Other studies have shown mixed or inconclusive results regarding omega-3 fatty acids and cancer, diabetes, lung disease, severe chronic kidney disease and cognitive and physical dysfunction, the study authors explain.

2,622 subjects participated in the study

In the current study, the team examined circulating blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids in 2,622 adults who participated in the US Cardiovascular Health Study. At the beginning of this study in 1992, the participants were on average 74 years old. Their blood levels of omega-3 were then measured six years later and again 13 years later. The types of omega-3 fatty acids included in the study were eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). The main food sources for the first three types of omega-3 fatty acids are fish (such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring and sardines) and other seafood, while nuts, seeds and vegetable oils mainly contain ALA.

Which results could be determined?

In total, by the end of the study period in 2015, 89 percent of participants had developed age-related chronic illness or mental or physical dysfunction, while 11 percent of subjects remained healthy in old age. The analysis found that people in the group with the highest seafood-based DPA use were 24 percent less likely to age unhealthily compared to those who consumed the least seafood. Plant derived DHA and ALA did not correlate with healthy aging. The scientists pointed out that this was an observational study and that the mechanisms responsible for these associations can not be explained. However, medical experts believe that omega-3 fatty acids can help to keep blood pressure and heart rate at bay and reduce inflammation.

Further research is needed

These findings encourage further research into plausible biological mechanisms and interventions related to omega-3 fatty acids to maintain healthy aging, the researchers concluded. Also, they speak for increased fish consumption in older adults. (As)