8 months ago
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA/JAMA) -- Researchers say diets rich in Omega 3 fatty acids can help people with heart disease live longer, but the reasons why they work still remain somewhat of a mystery.
A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association looks at how higher fish oil levels in the blood may protect the caps on chromosomes, which help measure biological aging.
Salmon, tuna and other oily fish are said to help patients with this diagnosis live longer, but how does it work?
Dr. Ramin Farzaneh-Far, a cardiologist with the University of California San Francisco and co-author of the first study to measure Omega 3's and aging explains, "Patients with high levels of Omega 3 fish oil in the blood appear to have a slowing of the biological aging process over five years as measured by the change in telomere length."
Telomeres are the red areas and protective caps on the chromosomes. They resemble the plastic which holds the end of the shoelaces together.
Telomeres can protect valuable genetic material and also serve as markers for how quickly our bodies are aging. Over time they can become damaged and shorten because of inflammation, smoking, obesity or lack of exercise.
Dr. Farzaneh-Far measured telomere lengths of more than 600 people with heart disease.
"Those with the lowest levels of Omega 3 fish oils in the blood had the fastest rate of telomere shortening suggesting that these patients were aging faster than those with the higher fish oil levels in their blood," explains Dr. Farzaneh-Far.
The results , Dr. Farazaneh-Far explains "Underscores the recommendations of the American Heart Association that patients with known coronary artery disease should be getting at least one gram a day of Omega 3 fish oil."
Sources of Omega-3's:
-Salmon
-Soybean/Canola Oil
-Walnuts
-Flaxseed
-Fish Oil Supplements
Comments 
