A recently concluded three-year clinical investigation involving over 700 elderly individuals offers substantiation for the age-slowing properties of omega-3 supplementation. Furthermore, it suggests that concurrent administration of omega-3, vitamin D, and physical activity may yield amplified salutary outcomes.
Consuming one gram of omega-3 per day may slow down the rate of biological ageing in humans. Image credit: Lqiuz.
Prior clinical research has indicated that caloric restriction can decelerate the aging process in human subjects.
Additional studies conducted on animal models or in preliminary human trials have also pointed towards favorable effects on delaying biological senescence through avenues such as vitamin D or omega-3 intake.
However, the efficacy of these interventions in human populations has remained a subject of ongoing inquiry.
Within a novel clinical trial encompassing 777 participants aged 70 and above, sourced from Switzerland, Heike Bischoff-Ferrari, a researcher affiliated with the University of Zurich, and her collaborators employed sophisticated molecular biology techniques known as epigenetic clocks. These tools were utilized to precisely quantify the impact on the rates of aging.
Throughout the duration of the investigation, which spanned three years, participants were allocated to one of eight distinct treatment groups. These involved daily ingestion of 2,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D, and/or a daily gram of omega-3, and/or participation in a 30-minute home-based exercise regimen three times per week.
An in-depth analysis of blood samples revealed that the consumption of omega-3 led to a moderate deceleration of biological aging, as measured by several epigenetic clocks, by up to four months.
This observed effect was found to be irrespective of the participant’s gender, age, or body mass index.
Evidence emerged suggesting that the combination of omega-3, vitamin D, and exercise conferred even more significant benefits, as demonstrated by specific assessments within the study.
Moreover, the scientific team ascertained that the synergistic application of these three interventions resulted in the most pronounced reduction in cancer risk and a greater prevention of frailty over the three-year study period.
Each of these therapeutic modalities operates via distinct yet interconnected biological pathways. When employed in concert, they potentiate each other, thereby generating a more robust overall impact.
“Our trial indicates a small protective effect of omega-3 treatment on slowing biological aging over 3 years across several clocks, with an additive protective effect of omega-3, vitamin D and exercise based on PhenoAge,” the authors stated.
Their findings were formally documented and published this week in the esteemed journal Nature Aging. The detailed paper is accessible at the provided link.
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H.A. Bischoff-Ferrari et al. Individual and additive effects of vitamin D, omega-3 and exercise on DNA methylation clocks of biological aging in older adults from the DO-HEALTH trial. Nat Aging, published online February 3, 2025; doi: 10.1038/s43587-024-00793-y
