A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Washington found that older adults who eat fish live longer than those who don’t. Researchers analyzed more than a decade’s worth of data and omega-3 blood levels for almost 2,700 healthy adults. None of them took fish oil supplements, so all of their omega-3s came through their diet. The results, published this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine, were extremely fish-friendly. Participants with the highest levels of omega-3s in their blood lived an average of 2.2 more years than those with the lowest levels. Fish eaters also enjoyed a 27% lower risk of dying from any cause and a 35% lower risk of developing heart disease. If you don’t eat fish but want to start, the news is even better. Researchers saw the biggest boost in blood levels when people who hardly ever ate fish started eating fatty fish about twice a week (the equivalent of 400 mg per day). “We always consider fats to be just inert carriers of calories, but really, fatty acids are integral to so many structures and functions of the body,” says Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, the study’s lead author and associate professor in the department of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. Fatty acids like omega-3s build cell membranes, resolve inflammation, and directly affect our genes, he says. Other studies have shown that omega-3s lower heart rate and blood pressure, and help the heart relax. Fatty, oily fish like salmon, herring, anchovies, and trout are the most densely packed with omega-3s, Dr. Mozaffarian says. Omega-3s build up in your system, so you can get all you need by eating fish just once or twice a week. Even just one serving of farmed salmon per week would get you there, he says. More from Prevention: 8 Omega-3 Sources For Vegetarians
