Do you want to live longer? Just eat more oily fish such as salmon, anchovies or sardines because they have omega-3 fatty acids.
A recent study in Spain found that having high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in your blood can increase your life expectancy by almost 5 years. You can get more omega-3 fatty acids in your body by eating oil fish.
Longer Life Expectancy
The study analzyed data on blood fatty acid levels in 2,240 people over the age of 65 for a period of 11 years. The goal was to predict which type of fatty acids can predict mortality. The researchers found that there were four types of fatty acids, including omega-3 acids, that fit this role.
The interesting things was that two of the four fatty acids were saturated fatty acids, traditionally associated with cardiovascular risk. This means that not all saturated fatty acids are bad for you. However, these levels of these types of fatty acids cannot be changed by just altering your diet.
Change Your Diet, Live Longer
The good news is omega-3 fatty acid levels can definitely be changed by diet. Just simply consuming more omega-3 fatty acid can have a big difference in your health and longevity.
Omega-3 fatty acids are nutrients that your body needs to keep your heart, lungs, blood vessels, brain and eyes functioning well. They are classified as polyunsaturated fatty acid.
TAKE-HOME MESSAGE: High levels of omega-3 fatty acids in your blood is associated with increased life expectancy — up to almost 5 years. A simple change in diet, like eating more oily fish, can increase omega-3 levels in your blood.
The study was published in the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Journal source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Using an erythrocyte fatty acid fingerprint to predict risk of all-cause mortality: the Framingham Offspring Cohort
