Combination of These Supplements and Exercise May Slow Biological Aging
Approximately one-fourth of people in the United States age 65 and older are in only fair or poor health. While we can't change our chronological age, various lifestyle practices can slow biological aging and delay the onset of chronic disease and frailty.
Biological age refers to the health of the cells and tissues, which is dependent upon an array of genetic and environmental factors.
A new clinical trial found that omega-3 fatty acid supplements have a small slowing effect on biological aging. Additional slowing occurs when these supplements are combined with vitamin D supplements and home exercise.
An influential member of the natural health community, Dr. Joseph Mercola, a board-certified family medicine osteopathic physician, agrees that lifestyle factors can slow aging, yet he takes issue with some of the trial's findings.
'Relying solely on supplements is a poor substitute to get the nutrients your body was built to receive,' he told The Epoch Times in an email. Later in this article, he shares his recommendations for slowing aging.
Findings
The clinical trial, called the DO-HEALTH trial and published in Nature Aging, involved a prior phase and a current phase. The prior phase found three interventions linked to better health in aging, and the current phase found that the interventions also linked to better biological aging.
Interventions Link to Improved Health
Lead author Dr. Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, a clinical researcher and specialist in geriatric medicine at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, discussed the findings in an email with The Epoch Times.
The prior phase of the same trial had more than 2,100 generally healthy adult participants aged 70 and older. 'We found omega-3 fatty acid supplements lowered the rate of falls by 10 percent and reduced the rate of infections by up to 13 percent,' she said. 'Also, the combination of omega-3, vitamin D, and exercise lowered the risk of pre-frailty by 39 percent and invasive cancer by 61 percent.'
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