One gram a day can buy you time
University of Zurich
Taking vitamin D or omega-3 fatty acids
has also shown promising results in slowing biological aging in animals.
However, it was unclear whether these measures would also work in humans.
The therapies previously tested in the DO-HEALTH study led by Heike Bischoff-Ferrari are also associated with a slowing of the aging process.
These showed that vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, as well as regular physical activity, reduce the risk of infections and falls, and prevent cancer and premature frailty.
"These results inspired us to measure the direct influence of these three therapies on the biological aging process in the Swiss DO-HEALTH participants," says Bischoff-Ferrari, professor of geriatrics and geriatric medicine at the University of Zurich.
Measuring biological and chronological age
One scientific approach to making biological aging
measurable is the use of epigenetic clocks. They record chemical modifications
of the DNA molecule, known as methylation, and thus quantify the difference
between biological and chronological aging. The DO-HEALTH study has now for the
first time investigated how sensitively this molecular biological measurement
method reacts to targeted treatment.
The team led by Heike Bischoff-Ferrari, in collaboration
with Steve Horvath, senior researcher at Altos Labs Cambridge (UK), who
developed the watches, investigated the effect of omega-3s and/or vitamin D
and/or simple strength training on biological aging in 777 people over the age
of 70. Eight different treatment combinations were tested during the three-year
study: subjects took 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D and/or 1 gram
of omega-3 fatty acids (from algae) daily and/or performed 30 minutes of
strength training at home three times a week.
Biological age slowed down When the researchers
analyzed the blood samples, they found that taking omega-3 fatty acids slowed
down biological aging across several epigenetic clocks by up to four months --
regardless of subjects' gender, age or body mass index. The combination of
omega-3, vitamin D and strength training proved to be even more effective,
according to one of the four epigenetic clocks used.
"This result extends our previous findings from the
DO-HEALTH study, in which these three factors combined had the greatest impact
on reducing the risk of cancer and preventing premature frailty over a
three-year period, to slowing down the biological aging process," says
Bischoff-Ferrari. Each of these measures works through different mechanisms
that complement each other and, when combined, result in a heightened overall
effect, according to the study author.
DO-HEALTH as a validation platform
At the same time, the research team draws attention to the
limitations of the study. "There is no generally accepted gold standard
for measuring biological age," Bischoff-Ferrari explains. "However,
we analyzed the best currently validated epigenetic clocks, which reflect the
state of the art." To further advance the clinical application of
biological clocks, Bischoff-Ferrari, together with leading international
researchers in the Global Health Span Extension Consortium, plans to use
DO-HEALTH and other global intervention studies as a validation platform for
novel biomarkers of aging.
The researchers also point out that the sample consists
exclusively of Swiss participants and therefore does not represent the global
population of older adults aged 70 years and older. In a next step, they plan
to extend their analyses to all DO-HEALTH participants -- including people from
Germany, France, Austria and Portugal -- to account for a greater diversity of
genetics and lifestyles.
DO-HEALTH Trial
The 2157 study participants were randomized into eight
different groups to test the individual and combined benefits of the
interventions: Group 1 received 2000 IU of vitamin D3 per day (which is more
than 200 percent of the amount currently recommended for older adults, 800 IU
per day), 1 g of omega-3 fatty acids per day, and a simple home-based exercise
program three times per week; Group 2 received vitamin D3 and omega-3 fatty
acids; Group 3 received vitamin D3 and the exercise program; Group 4 received omega-3
fatty acids and the exercise program; Group 5 received vitamin D3 only; Group 6
received omega-3 fatty acids only; Group 7 received the exercise program only;
and Group 8 received a placebo.
Participants received follow-up phone calls every three
months and underwent standardized and comprehensive health and functional
assessments, including lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity, at
the study centers at baseline, year 1, year 2, and year 3. The DO-HEALTH cohort
and biobank is the largest study of healthy adults aged 70 years and older in
Europe and is led by the University of Zurich. The DO-HEALTH study and its
international network of researchers have been funded by the EU's Seventh
Framework Program for Research.
The epigenetic measurements were supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (principal investigator Bischoff-Ferrari).
