Medicine Omega-3 reduces biological age according to Swiss study
Omega-3 fatty acids can measurably slow down ageing, according to a new study. An analysis by researchers at the University of Zurich has shown that a daily intake of one gram of omega-3 slows down biological ageing by up to four months in three years.
04.02.2025, 10:06
SDA
If the intake of omega-3 fatty acids was combined with vitamin D and exercise, the effects were even greater, as the University of Zurich reported on Tuesday. The results were published in the journal "Naute Aging". Omega-3 fatty acids are found in salmon and spinach, for example.
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 777 Swiss participants in the "Do Health Study", the largest ageing study in Europe. The researchers divided the study participants into eight different groups. Each of the groups received a different therapy for three years: omega-3, vitamin D, an exercise program, as well as combinations of these therapies. One group received a placebo.
Biological clock measured
The biological age of the study participants was measured before and after the intervention. The researchers used so-called epigenetic clocks to measure age. These record chemical changes in the DNA molecule known as methylation and thus quantify the difference between biological and chronological ageing.
When taking omega-3 fatty acids, ageing slowed down by 2.9 to 3.8 months over this three-year period. This was independent of gender, age and body mass index. However, there is no generally recognized gold standard for measuring biological age, as the researchers admitted.
In research on animals, the intake of vitamin D or omega-3 had already shown promising results in slowing down biological ageing. Whether these measures also work in humans was previously unclear.
