Long Life Span of the Japanese

“It is interesting to note that in Japan, where the mean omega-3 index is greater than 8%, the expected life span is around five years longer than it is in the United States, where the mean omega-3 index is about 5%. Hence, in practice, dietary choices that change the omega-3 index may prolong life,” said Michael McBurney, Ph.D., FCNS-SCN, lead researcher in this study.

“In the final combined model, smoking and the omega-3 index seem to be the most easily modified risk factors. Being a current smoker (at age 65) is predicted to subtract more than four years of life (compared with not smoking), a life-shortening equivalent to having a low vs. a high omega-3 index.”

“The information carried in the concentrations of four red blood cell fatty acids was as useful as that carried in lipid levels, blood pressure, smoking, and diabetic status with regard to predicting total mortality,” said Dr. Bill Harris, who was also an author on this study. “This speaks to the power of the omega-3 index as a risk factor and should be considered just as important as the other established risk factors, and maybe even more so.”