October 30, 2018
Omega 3 fatty acids in seafood linked to healthy ageing
Omega 3 fatty acids found in seafood are associated with a higher likelihood of healthy ageing among older adults, according to the findings of a US study published by The British Medical Journal, or The BMJ, on Oct. 18.
Healthy ageing means a meaningful lifespan without major chronic diseases and with good physical and mental function.
A team of US researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston, USA, investigated the association between circulating blood levels of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) and healthy ageing among older adults.
The study involved 2,622 adults from 1992 to 2015, with 74 years as the average age of participants at the start of the study. Sixty-three percent were women and 11% were from non-white groups.
The researchers found that 89% of the participants experienced unhealthy ageing over the study period, while 11% experienced healthy ageing.
A possible explanation for this effect, according to the researchers, is that n-3 PUFAs help to regulate blood pressure, heart rate and inflammation.
At the same time, they pointed out that this was an observational study, so no firm conclusions could be drawn about cause and effect, and that they could not rule out the possibility that some of the observed risk might be due to other unmeasured factors.
The study had a long follow-up period (up to 22 years), and results remained largely unchanged after further analyses.
As such, higher levels of circulating n-3 PUFAs from seafood among older adults were associated with a lower risk of unhealthy ageing.