BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: 

• Healthy aging reflects not just overall years, but rather “a meaningful lifespan without chronic diseases” 
• Data is unclear as to whether omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n3-PUFAs) from seafood and plants are associated with healthy aging  
• Studies are often based on self-reporting rather than objective biomarker levels  
• Lai et al. (BMJ, 2018) assessed the association between serial biomarker measures of circulating n3-PUFA levels and healthy aging

METHODS: 

• Prospective cohort study  
  • Cardiovascular Health Study  
  • Multicenter prospective cohort of older adults in the United States 
• Healthy aging was defined as 
  • Survival without chronic diseases (i.e., cardiovascular disease, cancer, lung disease, and severe chronic kidney disease) 
  • The absence of cognitive and physical dysfunction, or death from other causes not part of the healthy aging outcome after age 65 
• n3-PUFA measurements 
  • Cumulative levels of plasma phospholipid n3-PUFAs were measured using gas chromatography 
  • Levels were expressed as percentage of total fatty acids 
  • Measurements were taken 3 times between 1992 and 2006 
  • Forty six plasma phospholipid n3-PUFA levels were measured 
• Other risk factors were also collected, e.g., sociodemographic information, lipid levels, personal and family medical history, exposures to smoking, alcohol etc.  
• Correlations between dietary fish intake and n3-PUFA biomarkers at baseline were evaluated in a previous publication 
• Outcomes 
  • Association between time-varying n3-PUFA levels, and the likelihood of unhealthy aging

RESULTS: 

• 5201 ambulatory adults who were living independently and were not under active treatment for cancer were recruited 
  • Mean age: 74.4 years  
  • 63.4% were women 
  • 10.8% were from non-white groups 
• Higher levels of long chain n3-PUFAs were associated with an 18% lower risk of unhealthy aging per interquintile (95% CI, 7% to 28%)  
• Higher eicosapentaenoic acid was associated with a 15% lower risk of unhealthy aging (95% CI, 6% to 23%) 
•  α-linolenic acid from plants was not associated with unhealthy aging 
  • Hazard ratio 0.92 (95% CI, 0.83 to 1.02) 
• Association between n3-PUFA levels and healthy aging did not vary by age or sex 

CONCLUSION: 

• Higher levels of serially measured circulation n3-PUFAs from seafood was associated with a higher likelihood of healthy aging 
• The authors state that  

These findings encourage the need for further investigations into plausible biological mechanisms and interventions related to n3-PUFAs for the maintenance of healthy aging, and to support guidelines for increased dietary consumption of fish in older adults

Learn More – Primary Sources: 

Serial circulating omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and healthy ageing among older adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study: prospective cohort study

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