Increasing Omega-3s Could Add Five Years to Your Life Menu Verywell Fit Nutrition Weight Management Nutrition Facts Nutrition Basics Diets Meal Plans Meal Delivery Services View All News Fitness and Nutrition What to Buy How We Test Products Fitness Gear Nutrition Products Tools Recipe Nutrition Calculator Weight Loss Calorie Goal BMI Calculator Body Fat Percentage Calculator Calories Burned by Activity Daily Calories Burned Pace Calculator About Us Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Search NEWS Fitness and Nutrition News Increasing Omega-3s Could Add Five Years to Your Life By Elizabeth Millard Elizabeth Millard Elizabeth Millard is a freelance journalist specializing in health, wellness, fitness, and nutrition. Learn about our editorial process Updated on August 10, 2021 Fact checked Verywell Fit content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by Emily Swaim Fact checked by Emily Swaim Emily is a fact checker, editor, and writer who has expertise in psychology, health and lifestyle content. Learn about our editorial process Print Thomas Barwick / Getty Images Key Takeaways The level of omega-3 fatty acids in your blood may predict mortality risk.Even a slight increase in your intake of omega-3s could lengthen your life.Previous studies have linked these fatty acids to benefits like better heart health and less chronic pain. Having higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in your blood can increase your life expectancy by up to five years, according to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers looked at data on 2,240 people over the age of 65 who were part of a long-term study group called the Framingham Offspring Cohort. The group is comprised of the adult offspring of the original Framingham study participants, who all resided in a Massachusetts town of the same name. The Framingham Offspring Cohort study has been monitoring health markers in the offspring since 1971. They found that four types of fatty acids, including omega-3, provided a good predictor of a longer life—in the same way that smoking offered a solid prediction of a shorter life. Even a 1 quintile increase (e.g. a jump from 0-20% range to between 20% and 40%) in these fatty acids is associated with a positive change. Omega-3s are found mostly in fatty fish like salmon, but they also come in supplement form. “This is not an insignificant finding, because it reinforces the idea that small changes in the diet, if done in the right direction, can have a much more powerful effect than we think,” says study author Aleix Sala-Vila, Ph.D., at the Fatty Acid Research Institute and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute in Spain. He adds that the age of the participants was also important because it shows that it’s never too late to make these kinds of changes. Dietary Supplements & Vitamins The Alpha of the Omegas The benefits of omega-3s have been the subject of extensive research, and previous studies have noted that the fatty acids are potentially linked to: Better heart healthLess arthritis pain and inflammationReduced risk of certain cancersImproved cognitive functioning in people with mild Alzheimer's diseaseReduced risk of age-related macular degeneration This is not the first time that changes in early mortality risk have been connected to omega-3s. A study in Nature Communications found that the presence of fatty acids could reduce the risk of early death by 13%—mainly because it reduces the chances of developing cardiovascular disease and may lower the risk presented by certain cancers. By contrast, another fatty acid called omega-6 can also be beneficial, but only if consumed in moderation, because high levels can create inflammation. Top 8 Fish for Omega-3 Fatty Acids Quenching the Fire Your ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids should be about 1:1 or at the most, about 4:1, according to research. However, since omega-6s are found in many types of highly processed food, including fried foods, the ratio for people in the U.S. is closer to 20:1. That can cause widespread inflammation throughout the body, according to Kim Rose-Francis, RD, a dietitian for meal delivery service, Splendid Spoon. “Inflammation is a natural response by the body to heal itself on a short-term basis,” she says. For example, if you have an injury, that area swells with inflammation as your immune system tries to speed up repair. But when that inflammation becomes chronic, which can happen with eating too many omega-6 foods and too few omega-3 foods, it can cause the inflammatory response to worsen, says Rose-Francis. Not all foods rich in omega-6s need to be avoided, she adds. For example, these nutrient-dense choices have the fatty acid: WalnutsSunflower seedsTofuEggsAlmonds The trick is to get the ratio right, and that can be achieved by bringing in more omega-3s, Rose-Francis says. That includes foods like: Fatty fish like salmon, herring, and mackerelFlax, hemp, and chia seedsWalnutsDark chocolate For those who struggle to get enough omega-3 in their diet, supplements can help, such as cod liver oil or fish oil. There are also ALA supplements that provide a version of the fatty acid derived from plant-based sources. “Excessive consumption of omega-6s can contribute to an ongoing inflammatory response, where you’re adding more fuel to the fire,” she notes. “Eating a diet high in omega-3s may help negate inflammation and chronic pain.” What This Means For You Even a very small increase in omega-3 fatty acids in the body can help lower health risks and potentially extend your life. Increasing Omega-3 Intake Could Reduce Migraine Pain 7 Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Michael I McBurney, Nathan L Tintle, Ramachandran S Vasan, Aleix Sala-Vila, William S Harris, Using an erythrocyte fatty acid fingerprint to predict risk of all-cause mortality: the Framingham Offspring Cohort, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2021;, nqab195, doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqab195 Swanson D, Block R, Mousa SA. Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA: health benefits throughout life. Adv Nutr. 2012;3(1):1-7. National Institutes of Health; Office of Dietary Supplements. Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Harris WS, Tintle NL, Imamura F, et al. Fatty Acids and Outcomes Research Consortium (FORCE). Blood n-3 fatty acid levels and total and cause-specific mortality from 17 prospective studies. Nat Commun. 2021;12(1):2329. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22370-2 Innes JK, Calder PC. Omega-6 fatty acids and inflammation. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2018;132:41-48. doi:10.1016/j.plefa.2018.03.004 Simopoulos AP. An increase in the omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio increases the risk for obesity. Nutrients. 2016;8(3):128. doi:10.3390/nu8030128 DiNicolantonio JJ. The importance of maintaining a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio for reducing the risk of inflammatory cytokine storms. Mo Med. 2020;117(6):539-542. By Elizabeth Millard Elizabeth Millard is a freelance journalist specializing in health, wellness, fitness, and nutrition. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? 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