A new study uncovers that a combination of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D and strength training can significantly slow biological aging in elderly individuals, offering new hope for extending health span.
A new study has revealed that omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D and regular strength training can collectively slow down the biological aging process in older adults.
The Swiss DO-HEALTH study, published in Nature Aging and led by Heike Bischoff-Ferrari, a professor of geriatrics and geriatric medicine at the University of Zurich, offers a beacon of hope in the mounting quest to delay aging.
Bischoff-Ferrari’s previous DO-HEALTH research had already demonstrated that vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acid and physical activity significantly reduce the risk of infections, falls, cancer and frailty in older adults.
“These results inspired us to measure the direct influence of these three therapies on the biological aging process in the Swiss DO-HEALTH participants,” Bischoff-Ferrari said in a news release.
Biological Aging Explained
Biological age differs from chronological age, as it measures the true state of an individual’s aging cells rather than the number of years they’ve lived.
This study utilized epigenetic clocks, a cutting-edge method developed by Steve Horvath from Altos Labs Cambridge, to measure the chemical modifications in DNA — known as methylation — and thus the biological age of the participants.
Study and Findings
The researchers evaluated 777 participants over the age of 70, investigating the effects of varying combinations of treatments over a three-year period.
The subjects were assigned to one of eight different groups, each receiving either 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily, 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids from algae and/or 30 minutes of strength training three times a week.
Upon analyzing blood samples, the researchers discovered that omega-3 fatty acids alone could slow biological aging by up to four months, irrespective of the participants’ gender, age or body mass index.
The combination of omega-3, vitamin D and regular strength training was even more effective according to one of the four epigenetic clocks used.
“This result extends our previous findings from the DO-HEALTH study, in which these three factors combined had the greatest impact on reducing the risk of cancer and preventing premature frailty over a three-year period, to slowing down the biological aging process,” added Bischoff-Ferrari.
Potential Impact
This study’s findings could have significant implications for public health strategies aimed at improving the quality of life for elderly populations.
By slowing down the biological aging process, these interventions could potentially reduce age-related diseases and enhance longevity.
Limitations and Future Work
Bischoff-Ferrari cautioned that the study’s sample was exclusively Swiss and might not represent older adults globally.
“There is no generally accepted gold standard for measuring biological age,” she added.
However, the research applied the most advanced epigenetic clocks available.
Future plans involve extending these analyses to include participants from Germany, France, Austria and Portugal, which will better represent a diverse range of genetics and lifestyles.
DO-HEALTH Study Funders and Future Prospects
Funded by the EU’s Seventh Framework Program for Research and supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the DO-HEALTH study remains Europe’s largest investigation of healthy older adults.
Working with leading international researchers in the Global Health Span Extension Consortium, Bischoff-Ferrari aims to validate these findings further and pioneer new biomarkers for aging.
The promising results from this study kindle optimism for potential simple interventions that could broadly benefit the aging global population. Should further research and validation corroborate these findings, societal approaches to aging and elderly care may fundamentally evolve, prioritizing these effective, accessible measures.