A major new study has found that just one gram a day of one nutritional powerhouse can ‘slow the ageing process’
A groundbreaking study has revealed that just gram per day of one supplement could put the brakes on ageing. Published this year (2025) in Nature Aging, researchers have pinpointed omega-3 as something that could ‘slow the ageing process’.
Omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential polyunsaturated fats, play a critical role in maintaining bodily health. Interestingly, something as simple and affordable as cod liver oil, brimming with Omega-3, is on sale for just 4p per capsule.
The study’s lead investigator, Heike Bischoff-Ferrari, professor of geriatric medicine and healthy longevity at the University of Zurich, said: “While the effects may appear small with three to four months rejuvenation of biological age in three years, if sustained, they may have relevant effects on population health.”
Assessing the findings, Zest Science said: “An omega-3 dose a day could slow ageing process, ‘healthspan’ trial finds. (A) Daily gram of essential fatty acid leads to ‘three to four months rejuvenation of biological age’ over three years.
“A daily dose of omega-3 oils may slow the aging process, according to a major clinical trial of interventions that aim to extend humans’ healthspan – the number of years spent in good health before a decline in old age.
“Healthy older people who took one gram of the essential fatty acid for three years were found to have aged three months less than others on the trial, as measured by biological markers. Additional vitamin D and regular exercise boosted the effect to nearly four months, researchers found.
“Three different epigenetic clocks suggested that omega-3 slowed aging, while one found an additional benefit when it was accompanied by vitamin D and exercise, the authors write in Nature Aging. The same European trial, Do-Health, has reported other beneficial effects of omega-3, including a 10 per cent lower rate of falls in seniors and 13 per cent fewer infections.
“Meanwhile, the combination of omega-3, vitamin D and exercise lowered the risk of entering pre-frailty – when people show one or two signs of physical or mental decline that typically precede frailty – by 39 per cent and reduced invasive cancers by 61 per cent.”
The British Heart Foundation recognises the health benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids, stating: “Some omega-3s are essential fatty acids, building blocks of the fats that your body needs to work properly. Your body can’t make them, so you have to get them from your diet.
“(They have) been linked to a reduction in the risk of heart disease. It’s thought that they could do this in several ways, by reducing a type of fat in your blood called triglycerides, high levels of which are linked to a greater risk of heart attack and stroke, improving circulation, preventing blood clots, lowering blood pressure, and maintaining a healthy heart rhythm.
“Omega-3s have other important roles to health as well. They are in the membranes of every type of cell in the body and are also vital for the development of the brain and the retinas of a growing baby.”
