While the price of eggs in the US is unlikely to come down anytime soon, it might be time to find other sources of one of their key nutrients – omega-3. Because the latest research on polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) has found some encouraging signs that it can slow the aging process.
An international team of researchers, including scientists from Australia's Monash University and Switzerland's University of Zurich, have reported that, for people aged 70 or over, omega-3 may press pause on cellular aging. In a three-year study of 777 individuals from five European countries, the team found that PUFA stalled the ticking of time, biologically speaking. While this translated to around 2.9-3.8 months over the three years, it's a promising result for maintaining healthy aging.
The comprehensive study tested eight treatments divided among the 777 adults, with different combinations of omega-3, vitamin D and exercise (three times a week for 30 minutes). The researchers found that blood samples upon completion of the study showed a significant difference in the samples of those who were prescribed the omega-3, vitamin D and exercise program, while there was improvement in the groups that had the PUFA included, as opposed to those with just vitamin D.
What's more, the participants who had all three interventions scored far better than other cohorts in terms of cancer risk and frailty.
The team used several epigenetic clocks – which measure biological age through blood and tissue biomarkers – and found that omega-3 looked to have been the factor in three out of four of these measures (PhenoAge, GrimAge2 and DunedinPACE).
"Our trial indicates a small protective effect of omega-3 treatment on slowing biological aging over three years across several clocks, with an additive protective effect of omega-3, vitamin D, and exercise based on PhenoAge," the researchers noted. "The observation that individuals with lower starting levels of omega-3 exhibited larger epigenetic shifts further strengthens the case for personalized approaches."
For many years, scientists have been putting omega-3 under the microscope, with research suggesting it can shield against many cancers and arterial plaques. It's even recently been associated with quelling aggression. That said, there are about as many papers that have found that its benefits might be overblown, even contradicting the heart health studies and cancer findings. Essentially all we know with any certainty is that we don't actually know a whole lot about this naturally occurring fatty acid.
The participants in this Swiss trial were only required to stick to a low daily dose of omega-3 – one gram a day. If eggs are off the table for now, flaxseed, salmon, walnuts and, of course, supplements are able to boost levels.
While there were limitations to the study – such as a lack of a standard measure to gauge biological aging and the Eurocentric trial participants – it's a promising sign for omega-3, following on from animal trials that had shown benefits to aging cell health. It also points to the importance of molecular biomarkers – not just a measure of years – to evaluate 'healthy aging.'
"Even small changes in biological aging, if sustained, may have relevant effects on population health," the researchers concluded.
The study was published in the journal Nature Aging.
Source: University of Zurich via Scimex
