A research from Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have concluded that omega-3 levels in blood erythrocytes are very good mortality risk predictors. The study states 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.’
The study analysed 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, fulfil this role. 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.”
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. It reinforces the idea that small changes in diet in the right direction can have a much more powerful effect than we think.
Original article can be found here.
