“Omega Man” -- the last man alive (Charlton Heston, 1971), “Omega Doom” -- cyborg vs. man (Rutger Hauer, 1996) and “I Am Omega” -- the last man alive, again (Mark Dacascos, 2007): Makes you think omega-anything is risky business. Well, when it comes to omega-3s, nothing could be further from the truth -- especially when it partners with vitamin D.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in BMJ followed almost 26,000 people age 55 or older for about five years. The goal: To see the effect that taking omega-3 supplements, vitamin D supplements and the combination of both would have on development of an autoimmune condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune thyroid disease and psoriasis.
-- Turns out that 1 gram a day of an omega-3 supplement containing 460 milligrams of EPA and 380 milligrams of DHA reduced the risk of an autoimmune disease by up to 18% -- and the longer the participants took the supplement, the more powerful its protective effect.
-- Taking 2,000 IU daily of vitamin D supplements for five years reduced the occurrence of autoimmune disease by 22%.
-- Taking the two supplements together cut the risk by 30%!
That’s an important protection, because compared with 25 years ago, older folks today have a 50% higher risk of having the most common biomarker of autoimmune disease -- ANA -- in their blood.
So if you’re age 50-plus, enjoy salmon (wild caught) several times a week, cook up vitamin D-enriched mushrooms and talk to your doc about starting these supplements.
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is “The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow.” Do you have a topic Dr. Mike should cover in a future column? If so, please email questions@GreatAgeReboot.com.
