Omega-3 supplements seem to slow ageing process, Swiss study finds
The researchers wanted to know how omega-3 may work alongside vitamin D supplements and exercise among older people.
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Omega-3 supplements seem to slow ageing process, Swiss study finds
Taking a daily omega-3 supplement appears to slow down the rate of biological ageing by up to four months, according to a study by researchers at the University of Zurich.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Deutsch
de
Omega-3 reduziert laut Schweizer Studie das biologische Alter
Original
Healthy older people who took one gram of the essential fatty acid for three years aged three months less than others on the trial, as measured by biological markers. Additional vitamin D and regular exercise boosted the effect to nearly four months, researchers at the University of Zurich found. The results were published in the journal Nature Aging. Omega-3 fatty acids are found naturally in salmon and spinach, for example.
For the study, the researchers analysed data of 777 Swiss participants aged 70 to 91 in the “Do Health Study”, the largest ageing study in Europe. The researchers divided the study participants into eight different groups. Each of the groups received a different therapy for three years: omega-3, vitamin D and an exercise programme, as well as combinations of these therapies. One group received a placebo.
More
More
The secret of the centenarians in Switzerland
This content was published on
Researcher Daniela Jopp explores in a new study how Swiss centenarians live and what they can teach us about ageing well.
The biological age of the study participants was measured before and after the intervention. The researchers used so-called epigenetic clocks to measure age. These record chemical changes in the DNA molecule known as methylation and thus quantify the difference between biological and chronological ageing.
When taking omega-3 fatty acids, ageing slowed down by 2.9 to 3.8 months over a three-year period. This was independent of gender, age and body mass index. However, there is no generally recognised gold standard for measuring biological age, as the researchers admitted.
More
More
Swiss people only feel old from the age of 80
This content was published on
The final ‘fourth stage’ of life starts later in Switzerland, according to a survey of personal sentiment.
In research on animals, the intake of vitamin D or omega-3 had already shown promising results in slowing down biological ageing. Whether these measures also work in humans was previously unclear.
Translated from German by DeepL/sb
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
The citizenship obstacle course facing spouses of Swiss Abroad
Council of Europe warns against excluding Ukraine and Europe from peace talks
This content was published on
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, has warned against the exclusion of Ukraine and Europe from peace negotiations.
Switzerland records fewer illegal medicine imports
This content was published on
Last year, the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security seized 15% fewer illegal imports of medicine than the previous year.
Swiss president reacts to US vice president’s speech in Munich
This content was published on
For Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter, the Munich Security Conference was marked by uncertainty over the course of US foreign policy.
Swiss ‘Covid leaks’ scandal: court keeps gagging order
This content was published on
Swiss prosecutors, investigating a leak of confidential government information during Covid-19, remain blocked from seeing sensitive communication.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.