Omega-3s & Healthy Aging

Communication from the members of GNC's Medical Advisory Board - February 2010

The U.S. Baby Boomer generation (persons born between 1946 and 1964) have an average lifespan of 80 years.  This group has benefitted from a modern stable food supply, immunizations which have nearly wiped out most infectious and childhood diseases, and a state-of-the-art healthcare system, geared to allow us to live longer and have more active lifestyles.

Despite these many gains, both scientists and boomers are not satisfied and are still pushing for greater age gains and improved quality of life as they age.  The concept of increased longevity is balanced between both fixed aging - those genetic and cellular factors - and choices of aging - whether we choose to eat proper foods, exercise, not smoke and avoid toxins in our environment.  Recently, researchers have shown that these two types of aging may actually become blended. That is, what we choose or don't choose to eat may have profound effects on cellular and genetic functions that can allow us to live longer.  This is the new science of epigenetics, or how those things outside our cells can influence the genes, the blueprints of life, and alter intenal cellular genetic function.

This past month researchers in the Division of Cardiology at San Francisco General Hospital reported in JAMA an amazing epigenetic finding after evaluating over 600 subjects with stable heart disease.  For 6 years they collected data on the subject's health and longevity and traced the amount of omega-3 fatty acids (specifically DHA and EPA) in their blood.  They found what researchers have reported since studies completed in 1989 have shown: those who have higher amounts of omega-3s in their blood have less cardiac disease and live longer than those with the least amount of omega-3s.  In addition to this confirmation, the research also investigated the mechanisms of protection.  Their additional findings were both unexpected and groundbreaking.  They reported that those subjects who had the greatest blood levels of omega-3s also had greater improvements found in their cell's genetic code.  Specifically, the gene's tails, called telomeres, were actually longer and most likely functioning better than those with the lowest omega-3 levels.

Studies in the past investigating heart disease and the benefits of omega-3s have concluded that the benefits are from:

~The ability to reduce the inflammation response within blood vessels to help prevent plaque instability and potential to block arteries

~Reduction in cardiac irritability and thereby reduction of abnormal heart rhythms

~A decrease in the circulating triglyceride levels and reduction of oxidation of blood lipids, such as LDL within the walls of blood vessels.

In the past other studies have shown that the telomere length is directly linked to cellular longevity.  That is, the longer that the telomere length can be kept long, the greater length of time that cell can survive and continue to function and divide.  Telomeres act as the gene's protective cap and once worn down to a critical lenghth, the cell can no longer divide properly and a process of cellular death will be initiated.

This the the first study that may provide a plausible mechanism for the cellular benefits seen in many other organ systems when taking adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.  The authors of this study also relate that other studies have shown evidence that omega-3s can have similar affects on aging and age-related diseases.  They note that slowing of age-related cognitive decline and reduced incidence of age-related macular degeneration has been documented with omega-3 use.  And animal studies have shown omega-3s can prolong life span by about 1/3 in some rodents.

References:

Ramin Farzaneh-Far; Jue Lin; Elissa S. Epel; et al.Association of Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acid Levels With Telomeric Aging in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease, JAMA. 2010;303(3):250-257

Lee JH, O’Keefe JH, Lavie CJ, Marchioli R, Harris WS. Omega-3 fatty acids for cardioprotection. Mayo Clin Proc. 2008;83(3):324-332.

Marchioli R, Barzi F, Bomba E, et al; GISSI Prevenzione Investigators. Early protection against sudden death by n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids after myocardial infarction: time-course analysis of the results of the Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell’Infarto Miocardico (GISSI)–Prevenzione. Circulation. 2002;105(16):

1897-1903.

Burr ML, Fehily AM, Gilbert JF, et al. Effects of changes in fat, fish, and fibre intakes on death and myocardial reinfarction: diet and reinfarction trial (DART). Lancet. 1989;2(8666):757-761.

Albert CM, Campos H, Stampfer MJ, et al. Blood levels of long-chain n-3 fatty acids and the risk of sudden death. N Engl J Med. 2002;346(15):1113-1118.

Visioli F, Hagen TM. Nutritional strategies for healthy cardiovascular aging: focus on micronutrients. Pharmacol Res. 2007;55(3):199-206.

Tomiyama H, Takazawa K, Osa S, et al. Doeicosapentaenoic acid supplements attenuate age-related increases in arterial stiffness in patients with dyslipidemia?

a preliminary study. Hypertens Res. 2005; 28(8):651-655.

Hamazaki K, Terashima Y, Itomura M, et al. The relationship between n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and pulse wave velocity in diabetic and non-diabetic patients under long-term hemodialysis: a horizontal study. Clin Nephrol. 2009;71

(5):508-513.

Albanese E, Dangour AD, Uauy R, et al. Dietary fish and meat intake and dementia in Latin America, China, and India: a 10/66 Dementia Research Group population-based study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009; 90(2):392-400.

Tan JS, Wang JJ, Flood V, Mitchell P. Dietary fatty acids and the 10-year incidence of age-related macular degeneration: the Blue Mountains Eye Study. Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127(5):656- 665.

Jolly CA, Muthukumar A, Avula CP, Troyer D, Fernandes G. Life span is prolonged in food restricted autoimmune-prone (NZB x NZW)F(1) mice fed a diet enriched with (n-3) fatty acids.J Nutr. 2001;131(10):2753-2760

Comments

[L. LIEDEL]

DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL'S ON MEDA-RED, I HAVING
TROUBLE WITH BURPS, USING OMEGA-3 PURCHASED FROM
GNC...??
LEN LIEDEL

[Barry]

This is off subject but of serious concern foir everyone in the health food industry. This is neither red nor blue - partisan politics aside both Senators McCain (R-AZ) and Dorgan (R-ND) have introduced a bill into congress which will rob every American citizen of thier right to freely choose or get vitamins and supplements without a prescription from a doctor or governance by the FDA. The end result is higher prices, less quality and restricted access. Health food stores will close, vitamins and supplements will not be available to the general public and Big Pharma will cheapen and destroy the quality of what we get. These tow are up for re-election - they need to be defeated in a resounding way. Every store in both of these states should spend money to have bannersd made to be placed outside every store. They should also invest in bill boards clearly defining the bill and what it means for the American public at large.

[magda]

good night.
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[David Lovely]

If you're taking Omega 3's and striving to decrease inflammation how do you know if it's working?
A Lipid Profile, a C-Reative Protein and Homocystein blood test are important to measure if all your supplement strategies are working. There are a few sites you can order these tests without having to see a Dr first: Bloodtest.org and www.HealthTestingCenters.com are two I know of...

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The U.S. Baby Boomer generation (persons born between 1946 and 1964) have an average lifespan of 80 years.