Key Points:
- In health-conscious and physically active older adults, supplementation with omega-3s and multiple micronutrients leads to a reduction in inflammation.
- The supplementation regimen is more pronounced in individuals over 80 and for those who consume a pro-inflammatory diet.
- By reducing brain inflammation, supplementing with omega-3s and B vitamins may mitigate cognitive decline, dementia, and neurodegeneration.
Aging isn’t just seen, it’s felt, and chronic inflammation can feel like pain, fatigue, depression, gastrointestinal distress, or perhaps like an agitating fire burning within. Moreover, chronic inflammation tends to progress with age, particularly in populations from high-income, industrialized nations such as the United States. With time, the discomfort of chronic inflammation becomes much more serious, as three out of five people die of a chronic inflammatory disease, like stroke, respiratory diseases, heart disorders, cancer, obesity, and diabetes.
How can an agitating fire within lead to such adverse outcomes? Unlike the acute inflammation triggered by injury, it doesn’t heal. It smolders for years, subtly damaging tissues and disrupting the delicate balance of our immune system. For decades, researchers have sought to understand whether they can extinguish this fire. A new study published in Nutrition Research offers a compelling new piece of the puzzle, suggesting that a targeted nutritional boost could be a powerful tool.
What’s In the Multi-Supplement? The Study’s Setup
A team of German scientists from Leibniz University Hannover and Justus-Liebig-University Giessen conducted a 12-week study to investigate whether chronic age-related inflammation can be dampened. They recruited 112 adults who were over the age of 70. Importantly, the population examined was health-conscious and lived an active lifestyle. This is in contrast to other studied populations, say in the United States, where the participants are usually sedentary.
One group of participants received daily placebos in the form of three harmless dummy pills. The other received 1 g of omega-3 fatty acids (500 mg DHA + 500 mg EPA) and a carefully formulated anti-inflammatory cocktail of micronutrients:
- 400 µg retinol equivalents
- 50 µg cholecalciferol
- 18 mg tocopherol
- 30 µg vitamin K
- 200 mg ascorbic acid
- 1.65 mg thiamine (vitamin B1)
- 2.1 mg riboflavin (vitamin B2)
- 16 mg niacin equivalent
- 2.1 mg pyridoxine (vitamin B6)
- 400 µg folic acid (vitamin B9)
- 100 µg cobalamin (vitamin B12)
- 50 µg biotin
- 6.0 mg pantothenic acid
- 10 mg zinc
- 100 µg selenium
- 40 µg chromium
- 50 µg molybdenum
- 100 µg iodine
To measure inflammation, the scientists used a sophisticated composite measure called the “INFLA score.” This score combines four different blood markers—C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count, platelet count, and the ratio of granulocytes to lymphocytes—into a single, more holistic indicator of the body’s overall inflammatory state. A higher score signals more inflammation; a lower score, a calmer internal environment.
Supplements Reduce Age-Related Inflammation
The results were striking. After 12 weeks, the group taking the supplements showed a significant decrease in their INFLA score. The nutritional intervention had successfully cooled the inflammatory embers. But the most fascinating insights emerged when the scientists dug deeper into the data.
The benefits were not uniform across the board. Those of a more advanced age saw a greater reduction in their inflammation scores, suggesting that the most vulnerable may also be the most responsive to this kind of intervention. Supporting this, participants whose regular diets were more “pro-inflammatory” also experienced a more dramatic improvement.
Omega-3s: Doing All the Work?
The researchers also confirmed that the supplements were doing their job on a biological level. Blood tests showed that the participants’ red blood cell levels of omega-3s, vitamin B9, vitamin B12, and vitamin D had increased in the intervention group. Crucially, the drop in the inflammation score was directly linked to the rise in the omega-3 index (O3I) — a measure of how much omega-3 is incorporated into our red blood cells.
Within cell membranes, omega-3s can take the place of pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid. Indeed, the researchers showed that lower INFLA scores were correlated with lower arachidonic acid levels. However, there were no significant correlations between other nutrients and inflammation scores, suggesting that the omega-3 fatty acids may have been the primary contributor to lowering inflammation. However, the authors say,
“Vitamin C and selenium status were not assessed. As both micronutrients have been described to be involved in immune function, we cannot exclude possible effects of these nutrients on the INFLA score.”
Taking Omega-3 Supplements to Slow Cellular Aging
The study is a randomized controlled trial, the gold standard of scientific research. Previous randomized controlled trials have also shown that omega-3 supplementation reduces inflammation. Still, the effects are inconsistent, as scientists have yet to agree upon how to measure age-related inflammation. For example, the INFLA score used in this study cannot be compared to other studies, as other studies have not implemented the INFLA score.
There is also a debate over which dose of EPA and DHA is ideal for reducing inflammation. Previous studies have suggested that 2 g of EPA + DHA per day is required, yet this new study shows that only 1 g is necessary. Ultimately, the optimal dose likely depends on an individual’s baseline levels of omega-3s and inflammation.
Perhaps not mentioned enough, some studies suggest that the benefits of omega-3s may only occur with adequate vitamin B levels, namely vitamin B6, B9, and B12. This is particularly the case in the context of brain aging, as these B vitamins help metabolize homocysteine, effectively reducing homocysteine levels. High homocysteine levels are associated with dementia, and B vitamins reverse brain atrophy and cognitive deficits in individuals with high homocysteine levels.
Inflammation is a major contributor to brain aging, neurodegeneration, dementia, and cognitive decline. For those who are unsure or do not want to pay to have their omega-3, B vitamin, and homocysteine levels measured, the upper limit dosages for potentially reversing brain aging shown in studies could be useful:
- 1,700 mg DHA omega-3 fatty acids
- 600 mg EPA omega-3 fatty acids
- 0.5 mg vitamin B12
- 1 mg vitamin B9
- 20 mg vitamin B6
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