Omega-3s in seafood can keep you healthier, longer

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 17, 2018 (HealthDay News) – Tuna, salmon, mackerel, cod: whatever you prefer, eating more seafood can help you stay healthy as you get older, according to new research.

In a 22-year study, researchers found that higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids in seafood were associated with a better chance of aging in good health.

The study involved more than 2,600 US adults participating in a major heart health study. The participants were on average 74 years old at the beginning of the study.

"Healthy aging" has been defined as aging with good physical and mental function and without major chronic disease. According to the Heidi Lai team of the Boston Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy, only 11% of study participants achieved this goal.

The study was not designed to prove the cause and effect. However, after taking into account lifestyle and other factors, Lai's team discovered that people with the highest blood concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids derived from seafood had the risk of unhealthy aging is 24% lower than that of people with the lowest rates.

The report was published on 17 October in the BMJ.

Researchers noted in a press release that the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids derived from seafood did not fade over the two decades of the study.

The results "support the recommendations for increased food consumption of fish in the elderly," concluded the Lai group.

Two experts in aging and nutrition were not surprised by the results.

"Omega-3 fatty acids are now generally recognized as essential nutrients in the prevention of pathological conditions associated with the aging process," said Melanie Boehmer, a registered dietitian at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

Nutrients "have a positive effect on the risk factors associated with heart disease and have a neuroprotective effect on people with dementia and other age-related mental disorders, including breast cancer." Alzheimer's, "said Boehmer. "They also reduce inflammation at the system level and promote healthy bones and joints."

Dr. Maria Torroella Carney heads geriatric medicine at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, NY. She said the new study "clarifies" a key ingredient in maintaining health with age.

Nevertheless, further studies are needed to determine if "high levels of fatty acids [in the blood] are due to diet alone or that there is another factor that influences having higher levels, "said Carney.

In the meantime, Boehmer advised, it can not hurt to take more omega-3.

"Getting them from whole foods, such as wild salmon from Alaska or other oily fish (3.5 ounce portion) at least twice a week is a good start," said Boehmer. "And if you do not eat a lot of oily fish – or fish at all – talk to your friendly neighborhood dietician about the possibility of taking an omega-3 supplement."

More information

The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion of the United States explains how to protect your health as you get older.

SOURCES: Maria Torroella Carney, MD, Head of Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, Northwell Health, New Hyde Park, N.Y .; Melanie Boehmer, Outpatient Registered Dietitian, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York; BMJ, press release, October 17, 2018