What is omega-3?

Omega-3 supplementation alone slowed PhenoAge by 3.8 months over three years in a randomized trial of healthy adults over 70.

“I think it was 3.8 eight months the pheno age delayed the biological aging was delayed by 3.8 months.”

Omega-3 deficiency is attributed to 84,000 US deaths per year, exceeding the 82,000 deaths per year attributed to trans fat consumption.

“It was actually found that 84,000 deaths a year were attributed to people not getting enough omega-3 and by people I mean in the United States were not getting enough omega-3 from their diet. And compare this to people eating trans fats. So trans fats, everyone knows it's terrible for cardiovascular health. it leads to cardiovascular disease and that was attributed to 82,000 deaths per year.”

Women need at least 1 gram per day of omega-3 to begin slowing biological aging, while men see effects at around 461 mg per day.

“For women, it took about at least one gram of omega-3 to start to slow biological aging in women, whereas for men, it actually happened at a lower dose. It happened at around 461 milligrams a day.”

Each additional 100 mg per day of omega-3 fatty acids is associated with a 10% lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline.

“For every increase in so 100 millgram per day increase in omega-3 fatty acids that was associated with lowering the risk of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline by 10%.”

An omega-3 index of 8% is associated with a 66% lower dementia risk and a 5-year increase in life expectancy.

“It's the, you know, 66% lower dementia risk.”

Omega-3 supplementation was the only intervention to slow epigenetic aging in a study that also included vitamin D and resistance training in already-active, vitamin-D-sufficient individuals.

“Only the omega-3 was able to slow epigenetic aging.”

Raising omega-3 index from 4% to 8% is associated with a 5-year increase in life expectancy.

“You can essentially increase someone's life expectancy by 5 years by bringing them from a, you know, low omega-3 index, which is 4%, to a high index, which is 8%.”

In pregnant women, higher blood mercury (a marker of higher fish and omega-3 intake) was associated with higher IQ scores in children, suggesting net cognitive benefit from fish consumption despite mercury exposure.

“Higher levels of mercury which was indicative of higher omega-3 intake because people that were taking in fish had higher mercury actually was a biioarker for intelligence and they and the children had higher intelligence quotient scores.”

Omega-3's protection against disuse muscle atrophy appears to be driven by accumulation in muscle cell membranes, not by anti-inflammatory action as commonly assumed.

“Actually it doesn't really even seem to be the inflammation that's playing a role in this disuse atrophy. It's the accumulation of the omega-3 in the muscle cell membranes.”

Omega-3 deficiency stiffens cell membranes so glucose cannot enter the brain efficiently. Chronic low brain glucose then drives the accumulation of tau tangles, linking omega-3 status to Alzheimer's pathology.

“Over time, what's going to happen is low glucose in the brain affects a lot of different processes, right? Neurotransmission. It also leads to the accumulation of tow tangles.”