Posted on 07/26/2021 11:30:21 AM PDT by Red Badger
A 1% increase in this substance in the blood is associated with a change in mortality risk similar to that of quitting smoking.
Levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood are as good a predictor of mortality from any cause as smoking, according to a study involving the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), in collaboration with The Fatty Acid Research Institute in the United States and several universities in the United States and Canada. The study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, used data from a long-term study group, the Framingham Offspring Cohort, which has been monitoring residents of this Massachusetts town, in the United States, since 1971.
Researchers have found that omega-3 levels in blood erythrocytes (the so-called red blood cells) are very good mortality risk predictors. The study concludes that “Having higher levels of these acids in the blood, as a result of regularly including oily fish in the diet, increases life expectancy by almost five years,” as Dr. Aleix Sala-Vila, a postdoctoral researcher in the IMIM’s Cardiovascular Risk and Nutrition Research Group and author of the study, points out. In contrast, “Being a regular smoker takes 4.7 years off your life expectancy, the same as you gain if you have high levels of omega-3 acids in your blood,” he adds.
2,200 people monitored over eleven years The study analyzed data on blood fatty acid levels in 2,240 people over the age of 65, who were monitored for an average of eleven years. The aim was to validate which fatty acids function as good predictors of mortality, beyond the already known factors. The results indicate that four types of fatty acids, including omega-3, fulfill this role. It is interesting that two of them are saturated fatty acids, traditionally associated with cardiovascular risk, but which, in this case, indicate longer life expectancy. “This reaffirms what we have been seeing lately,” says Dr. Sala-Vila, “not all saturated fatty acids are necessarily bad.” Indeed, their levels in the blood cannot be modified by diet, as happens with omega-3 fatty acids.
These results may contribute to the personalization of dietary recommendations for food intake, based on the blood concentrations of the different types of fatty acids. “What we have found is not insignificant. It reinforces the idea that small changes in diet in the right direction can have a much more powerful effect than we think, and it is never too late or too early to make these changes,” remarks Dr. Sala-Vila.
The researchers will now try to analyze the same indicators in similar population groups, but of European origin, to find out if the results obtained can also be applied outside the United States. The American Heart Association recommends eating oily fish such as salmon, anchovies or sardines twice a week because of the health benefits of omega-3 acids.
Reference: “Using an erythrocyte fatty acid fingerprint to predict risk of all-cause mortality: the Framingham Offspring Cohort” by Michael I McBurney, Nathan L Tintle, Ramachandran S Vasan, Aleix Sala-Vila and William S Harris, 16 June 2021, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab195
Cause, or consequence?
Sardines and mushrooms....
Sounds fishy to me.
Stay away from seed oils. Use olive oil with abandon.
I just had bluefin tuna for lunch, so this is pleasant news.
I prefer Caviar.
“Sardines and mushrooms....”
Sounds like fun, guy.
Decoder ring: they didn't do a real study, they scanned results from studies that were looking at other things and found some statistical blip about something else that probably doesn't hold water if you studied it for real so they use weasel words like "linked to" or "associated with".
Expect an opposite "association" to come out within a year or two.
Is this an article from the 80s?
I love salmon and most other fish. Love sardines, too. But every coin has two sides, and I’ve been discouraged from eating fish because they cause kidney stones. I’ve had multiple stones over the last 8 months, two surgical stone removals and a lythotrypsy, with another likely coming up. I’ve all but eliminated sodas, potato chips, and most other fun foods, even cut back on all forms of animal protein but still the stones keep coming. Got to keep my kidneys as I don’t want to go down the dialysis road.
‘shrooms.....................
Odd, don’t they usually just recommend you stop ALL dairy products totally?.............
You can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish...............
...since U.S. Americans are apparently not predominantly of European extraction?!
Regards,
Not any more...................
LOL!
At least that's my amateur medical opinion.
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