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Topics: Health, Science, World News
Poppy Bilderbeck
A team of scientists looked into the effect of two supplements and exercise on clocks used to measure biological ageing.
The scientists have now revealed the results of the study, which delved into how taking specific supplements may help slow down the ageing process.
The study was published last month in Nature - titled Individual and additive effects of vitamin D, omega-3 and exercise on DNA methylation clocks of biological aging in older adults from the DO-HEALTH trial.
The study states: "The goal of our analysis was to test the hypothesis that vitamin D supplementation, omega-3 supplementation and a simple home exercise program (SHEP), individually and in combination, would slow biological aging in a larger clinical trial. "
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A first trial - DO-HEALTH - looked included 2,157 participants and showed the introduction of 'omega-3 alone' help reduced the rate of infections by 13 percent and the rate of falls by 10- percent.
A combination of omega-3, vitamin D and exercise, ll three had a significant 'additive benefit on reducing prefrailty by 39 percent and incident invasive cancer by 61 percent over a 3-year follow-up'.
A total of 777 participants were then taken from this trial and used for the study honing in on longevity.
The DO-HEALTH Bio-Age trial included 777 of the 2,157 DO-HEALTH participants with DNAm measures at baseline and three years' and 'enrolled 2,157 generally healthy and active adults aged 70 years and older across five countries in Europe'.
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The study tested the effects of taking 2,000 IU vitamin D per day alongside one gram of omega-3 per day and doing a simple home exercise program 'three times 30 mins per week' - 'individually and in combination over an intervention period of three years'.
Each partipant took part in phone calls every three months and yearly examinations and blood work - including DNA being extracted and 'biobanked' - was collected each year of the study too.
The scientists then used four biological age metrics - 'DNAm measures' - to test the effects of each of the supplements on the participants' biological ageing: PhenoAge which estimates someone's biolgoical age based on their health and other facts; GrimAge which is a DNA-based biomarker predicting lifespan and healthspan; GrimAge2 to do with mortality and the risk of suffering from a disease or medical condition and DunedinPACE measuring the pace of biological ageing.
Omega-3 supplementation showed the 'clearest' sign of helping slow ageing in three out of four of the DNAm measures.
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"The effect of the DO-HEALTH interventions on DunedinPACE was somewhat more modest (about a 1 percent reduction in the pace of aging). However, the reductions in PhenoAge and GrimAge2 by 2.9–3.8 months over three years were larger. Further, even small changes in biological aging, if sustained, may have relevant effects on population health"
The study also found participants with 'lower starting levels of omega-3' also showed much bigger shifts after taking the supplement, emphasizing 'personalized approaches' to supplement taking are beneficial.
Omega-3 alone slowed the DNAm clocks PhenoAge, GrimAge2 and DunedinPACE, and all three treatments - omega-3, vitamin D and exercise - had additive benefits on PhenoAge.
The trial resolved omega-3 treatement has a 'small protective effect' on 'slowing biological aging over three years across several clocks' with 'standardized effects ranging from 2.9-3/8 months'.
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Although the group does 'acknowledge the limitations' of the study, noting there 'is no gold measure of biological ageing' and the focus on DNA and the study taking place over a three-year period comes with 'certain limitations,' the latter meaning the 'intervention effects on the clocks for long-term survival is unknown'.
It resolved: "In sum, our analysis provides evidence supporting the geroprotective benefits of omega-3 supplementation and also suggests the benefits of additive combinations of omega-3 supplementation with vitamin D supplementation and exercise."