Puts back what smoking takes away
By IMIM (HOSPITAL DEL MAR MEDICAL
RESEARCH INSTITUTE) JULY 26, 2021
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
