Low Omega-3 Fatty Acids Associated with Aging
A new study examined the relationship between increased omega-3 fatty acids and increased survival in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). CHD is caused by atherosclerosis, which is the build-up of fatty plaques on the inner lining of the arteries. In the United States, CHD is the single leading cause of death, and it is estimated that 1.26 million Americans will have a new or recurrent heart attack this year.
The researchers in this study—including a scientist who won a Nobel Prize for her work with telomeres—investigated the relationship between omega-3 fatty acid intake and telomere length. Telomeres are repeat sequences at the end of chromosomes that protect and stabilize the DNA. Telomeres shorten with each replication of the DNA during cellular division. Short telomeres induce apoptosis (programmed cell death), thus telomere length has been suggested to play a role in biological aging.
In this new study, researchers investigated the relationship between omega-3 fatty acid intake and telomere length in subjects with coronary artery disease. Blood levels of the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were measured and telomere length was evaluated in white blood cells at the beginning of the study and again after 5 years.
The results showed that the subjects with the highest blood levels of DHA and EPA had the slowest rate of telomere shortening, and the subjects with the lowest levels of DHA and EPA had the fastest rate of telomere shortening. Additionally, they found that for each 1-standard deviation increase of omega-3 fatty acids, there was a 32 percent decrease in the odds of telomere shortening.
The researchers concluded, “Among this cohort of patients with coronary artery disease, there was an inverse relationship between baseline blood levels of marine omega-3 fatty acids and the rate of telomere shortening over 5 years.”
Reference:
Farzaneh-Far R, Lin J, Epel ES, Harris WS, Blackburn EH, Whooley MA. Association of marine omega-3 fatty acid levels with telomeric aging in patients with coronary heart disease. JAMA. 2010 Jan 20;303(3):250-7.
