As if you really needed convincing, here’s one more reason to order that salmon avocado roll: Higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and death in adults over age 65, according to a new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Most observational studies on the topic have relied on self-reported fish consumption. But for this long-term observational study, researchers examined the blood levels of three kinds of omega-3s in about 2,700 participants aged 65 and older. The study tracked those participants for 16 years, and the participants with the highest omega-3 levels in their blood lived, on average, 2.2 years longer than those with the lowest levels.
The people with the highest blood omega-3 levels also had a 27 percent lower risk of dying from all causes when compared to the people with the lowest blood omega-3 levels. The risk of death from coronary heart disease in particular was significantly lower.
While this study followed older adults, the findings are relevant to younger people, as well, says lead study researcher Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, doctor of public health and an associate professor in the department of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. “If you start at a young age and eat fish your whole life, the benefits could be even greater,” he says.
That’s particularly true since the good news about seafood keeps rolling in: In a study presented today at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual meeting, omega-3 were shown to considerably slow or even stop the proliferation of triple-negative breast cancer cells. Another new animal study published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that fish oil has immune-boosting benefits and may be good for people with a compromised immune system.
So how much fish should you eat if you want to reap its health benefits? Try for an average of 400 milligrams per day, which you can get if you have fish twice per week, says Mozaffarian. (The omega-3s get into your tissues and last for several days, so you don’t have to eat it every single day.) Keep in mind that omega-3 content varies among the different fish species; fatty types like salmon, herring, anchovies, bass, trout, white tuna, and swordfish pack the most.
More from Women’s Health:
A Healthy Diet Contains Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Do You Really Need an Omega-3 Supplement?
WH Ranks the Most Healthy Fish and Seafood