Combination Of These Supplements And Exercise May Slow Biological Aging

Authored by Mary West via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Approximately one-fourth of people in the United States age 65 and older are in only fair or poor health. While we can’t change our chronological age, various lifestyle practices can slow biological aging and delay the onset of chronic disease and frailty.

Biological age refers to the health of the cells and tissues, which is dependent upon an array of genetic and environmental factors.

A new clinical trial found that omega-3 fatty acid supplements have a small slowing effect on biological aging. Additional slowing occurs when these supplements are combined with vitamin D supplements and home exercise.

An influential member of the natural health community, Dr. Joseph Mercola, a board-certified family medicine osteopathic physician, agrees that lifestyle factors can slow aging, yet he takes issue with some of the trial’s findings.

Findings

The clinical trial, called the DO-HEALTH trial and published in Nature Aging, involved a prior phase and a current phase. The prior phase found three interventions linked to better health in aging, and the current phase found that the interventions also linked to better biological aging.

Interventions Link to Improved Health

Lead author Dr. Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, a clinical researcher and specialist in geriatric medicine at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, discussed the findings in an email with The Epoch Times.

The prior phase of the same trial had more than 2,100 generally healthy adult participants aged 70 and older. “We found omega-3 fatty acid supplements lowered the rate of falls by 10 percent and reduced the rate of infections by up to 13 percent,“ she said. ”Also, the combination of omega-3, vitamin D, and exercise lowered the risk of pre-frailty by 39 percent and invasive cancer by 61 percent.”

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Pre-frailty refers to early negative health effects that develop before the onset of functional decline, which is the point when performing everyday tasks becomes difficult.

Interventions Slow Biological Aging

Because of the health benefits found in the prior phase, the research team undertook the current phase to explore whether the interventions could slow biological aging. To determine this, they studied the most reliable molecular markers of biological age: epigenetic clocks.

Epigenetics refers not only to the genes with which we are born but also to the expression of those genes and how this expression changes over time due to environmental factors. 

Coauthor of the clinical trial, Steve Horvath, inventor of epigenetic clocks and principal investigator at Altos Labs, explained the concept of epigenetic clocks to The Epoch Times in an email.

“Epigenetic clocks depict aging at the molecular level,” he said. “They allow researchers to estimate a person’s age and mortality risk based on chemical modifications in DNA. These changes don’t alter the DNA sequence, but they can affect genetic expression, which governs how genes function. This is like a dimmer switch controlling the brightness of a light.”

The current phase of the DO-HEALTH trial involved 777 participants over age 70 and spanned a three-year period. The researchers tested eight treatments consisting of various combinations of the following, in addition to a placebo group:

• Taking a supplement of 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids from marine algae per day
• Taking a supplement of 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day
• Engaging in 30 minutes of strength training at home three times per week

“Our findings from epigenetic clocks provide a strong signal that omega-3 supplementation slows biological aging in humans,” said Bischoff-Ferrari. “Additionally, the combination of omega-3s with vitamin D and exercise may make this effect even stronger. Biological age was slowed by 3–4 months in 3 years.”

She added that while the effects seem small if sustained, they may have relevant implications for population health.

Omega-3 Fat: Supplements or Diet?

A 2020 review published in Nutrients supports the DO-HEALTH trial finding that linked omega-3 fatty acid supplements to better aging. It indicated that the supplements might reduce inflammation associated with certain chronic medical conditions, which develop more often as people age. An example is the loss of muscle mass and strength linked to frailty. However, the quality of evidence regarding the use of these supplements is sometimes considered low, so further research is necessary, the authors concluded.

Mercola disagrees with the part of the DO-HEALTH trial that suggested omega-3 fatty acid supplements may slow aging. Instead, he advocates eating food sources of the nutrient.

“The anti-aging effects of omega-3 fatty acids are questionable at best,” he told The Epoch Times in an email. “While some studies suggest benefits, including the recent DO-HEALTH trial, your body can only utilize so much, and excessive intake—especially in supplement form—can backfire by raising your risk of a serious heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation.”

A 2022 study published in Circulation documents this risk. It found that omega-3 fatty acids make the membrane of heart muscle cells thinner and more pliable, which changes its properties. This can affect the electrical activity of the heart needed for normal contractions.

Mercola added that most of the early human benefits of omega-3 fatty acids were observed in populations consuming whole foods rich in the nutrients, such as wild-caught fish, rather than from isolated supplements.

“Getting moderate amounts through the diet is enough to support overall health without the risks that comes with high-dose supplementation,” he said.

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