Omega-3 levels in blood erythrocytes are good predictors of the risk of death

The levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood are also a good predictor of mortality from any cause, such as smoking, according to a study involving the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM ), in collaboration with the Fatty Acid Research Institute in the United States. United States and several universities in the United States and Canada. The study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, used data from a long-term study group, the Framingham Offspring Cohort, which has been monitoring residents of this town in Massachusetts, United States, since 1971.

Researchers have found that omega-3 levels in blood erythrocytes (called red blood cells) are very good predictors of the risk of death. The study concludes that “having higher levels of these acids in the blood, due to the regular inclusion of fatty fish in the diet, increases life expectancy by nearly five years”, as Dr. Aleix Sala-Vila, postdoctoral researcher at IMIM The cardiovascular risk and nutrition research group and author of the study, points out. In contrast, “being a regular smoker takes 4.7 years off your life expectancy, the same as you gain if you have high levels of omega-3 acids in your blood,” he adds.

2,200 people followed over eleven years

The study analyzed data on fatty acid levels in the blood of 2,240 people over the age of 65, who were monitored for an average of eleven years. The objective was to validate which fatty acids function as good predictors of mortality, beyond the factors already known. The results indicate that four types of fatty acids, including omega-3s, fulfill this role. Interestingly, two of these are saturated fatty acids, traditionally associated with cardiovascular risk, but which in this case indicate longer life expectancy. “This reaffirms what we have seen lately,” says Dr Sala-Vila, “not all saturated fatty acids are necessarily bad”. Indeed, their level in the blood cannot be modified by food, as is the case with omega-3 fatty acids.

These results can contribute to the personalization of dietary recommendations for food intake, depending on the blood concentrations of different types of fatty acids. “What we found is not trivial. It reinforces the idea that small regime changes in the right direction can have a much more powerful effect than you think, and it’s never too late nor too early to make these changes, ”notes Dr. Sala-Vila.

The researchers will now attempt to analyze the same indicators in similar population groups, but of European origin, to see if the results obtained can also be applied outside the United States. The American Heart Association recommends eating fatty fish like salmon, anchovies, or sardines twice a week because of the health benefits of omega-3 acids.