Alternative Health Blog

In a prospective cohort study involving 608 ambulatory outpatients in California with stable coronary artery disease, an inverse relationship was observed between baseline omega-3 fatty acid levels (DHA and EPA) and rate of telomere shortening, over a 5 year period. Subjects in the lowest quartile of DHA + EPA were found to experience the fastest rate of telomere shortening, as compared to those in the highest quartile of DHA + EPA, who experienced the slowest rate of telomere shortening. For every 1 standard deviation increase in DHA+EPA levels, the odds of telomere shortening reduced by 32% (adjusted OR=0.68). The authors conclude, "Among this cohort of patients with coronary artery disease, there was an inverse relationship between baseline blood levels of marine omega-3 fatty acids and the rate of telomere shortening over 5 years."
 
Reference:
"Association of marine omega-3 fatty acid levels with telomeric aging in patients with coronary heart disease," Farzaneh-Far R, Lin J, et al, JAMA, 2010; 303(3): 250-7. (Address: Division of Cardiology, Room 5G1, San Francisco General Hospital, 1001 Potrero Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. E-mail: rfarzanehfar@medicine.ucsf.edu ).