A new study suggests that taking omega-3 supplements regularly could slow down the aging process by up to four months. The research, published in the journal Nature Aging, compared the effects of omega-3, vitamin D, and regular exercise on over 700 adults aged 70 and older.
The study found that participants who took omega-3 supplements daily showed a four-month reduction in their biological age, as measured by epigenetic "clocks." These clocks are tools that can track signs of aging in cells, providing a comprehensive indicator of health and longevity.
While the study focused on healthy and active older adults and yielded relatively small improvements in their biological aging clocks, it contributes to growing evidence that these simple and relatively inexpensive interventions are beneficial and, based on this and previous research, worth pursuing as we age.
However, not all experts agree on the significance of these preliminary findings. One reason is that, as the study authors acknowledge, all current research on aging is limited by the lack of a standardized test for biological aging.
"I think it makes sense to use multiple clocks, but we need to bear in mind that they provide different information about the impact of the treatments in the study, and it's not possible to say that the findings of one biological clock are better than those of another," said Professor Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics at The Open University, who was not involved in the research.