Fatty fish eaters live longer –study

Are you a fan of salmon or tuna? How often do you have them in your daily menu? If you reckon about twice a week, you’re bound to live an average of two years longer than people who don’t like these fish.

 

Yeah, yeah – we’ve all heard it before: fish is an essential part of a healthy diet.

 

But a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Washington now has the numbers to prove it.

 

Dariush Mozaffarian of the HSPH Department of Epidemiology led a team of researchers looking into the blood omega-3 levels of older adults. 

 

Their findings suggest that adequate levels of the fatty acids support cardiovascular health and may actually extend life expectancy and lower mortality risk from heart disease by 35%.

 

The study appeared online April 1, 2013 in Annals of Internal Medicine.

 

Taking data from the 16 year-long Cardiovascular Health Study conducted by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on 2,700 American adults aged 65 or older, the researchers focused on adults not taking fish oil supplements.

 

Measuring the total proportion of blood omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and adjusting for demographic, cardiovascular, lifestyle and dietary factors, they found a significant dip in the risk of mortality.

 

A high level of DHA corresponded with a 40% lower risk of coronary heart disease; EPA, lower risk of death from strokes; and DPA, lower risk of non-fatal heart attacks. 

 

The adults with the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids showed a lower overall mortality risk of 27%.

 

So, the next time you visit the market or the grocery store, stock up on salmon or its slightly humbler cousins: tuna, sardines and mackerel. Three ounces of salmon equals one gram of EPA and DHA, according to the American Dietary Association. 

 

Taken at least twice a week, it could be the equivalent of a couple or more years of a happy, healthy life with your family.  — TJD, GMA News