One of the supplements I recommend everyone take… every single day… is omega-3 fatty acids. Your body doesn’t produce them on its own, and it can’t function without them. So these essential oils have to come from dietary sources.
Unfortunately, the omega-3 fatty acids you need the most are the ones that come from fish. Specifically, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).
The reason this is unfortunate is because about 80% of people in the U.S. don’t eat the recommended 8 ounces of seafood per week.
This makes supplementing with omega-3 fish oil something that nearly everyone should be doing.
It’s not only good for your health, it’s also important when it comes to interrupting the aging process.
Omega-3s Reverse Biological Aging
A study from February 2025 analyzed the effect of supplementing with 1,000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids daily and/or 2,000 IU of Vitamin D daily and/or home exercise on the aging process.
The researchers established levels of DHA, EPA and 25(OH)D (vitamin D) among nearly 800 individuals in their mid-70s.
After three years of treatment, there was a significant difference in various biomarkers of biological aging. This includes a bunch of different aging phenotypes such as DNA methylation levels, whole blood analysis, plasma protein markers and blood chemistry markers.
The research showed that 1,000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids – without any other intervention – slowed aging by 2.9 to 3.8 months in these senior citizens!
However, the greatest effects appeared in the group who took part in all three interventions (omega-3s, vitamin D and exercise).
This makes good sense, because previous research links omega-3 fatty acids to longer telomere length.
Telomeres are the segments of DNA at the end of your chromosomes that act as an aging time clock. They tend to grow shorter as you age. Eventually they reach a point where they are so short that your cells can no longer divide. That’s when aging sets in.
Ultimately, the shorter your telomeres, the shorter your life will be – and the worse your health will be.
Vitamin D and the Hallmarks of Aging
One of the reasons the omega-3 fatty acids work better when taken with vitamin D is likely due to the fact that vitamin D has effects on similar hallmarks of aging.
But the first thing you MUST know about vitamin D is that it is absolutely necessary for supporting a healthy immune system. This is very important when it comes to healthy aging.
Vitamin D works with all kinds of immune cells to keep them working together in just the right way. This helps to prevent autoimmune disorders, regulate inflammation and protect against infections.
To put this in perspective, vitamin D insufficiency is associated with many life-changing immune disorders, from rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis to type 1 diabetes and lupus.
But the effects of vitamin D go beyond that.
Like omega-3 fatty acids, the sunshine vitamin is linked to longer telomere length. It also influences DNA methylation – a process that can turn bad genes on.
When your 25(OH)D levels are low, it can affect your body’s ability to absorb certain nutrients and prevent your body from cleaning up damaged cells. So nutrient absorption is compromised while all kind of cellular junk builds up in your body.
At the same time, the good and bad bacteria in your gut get thrown out of balance and chronic inflammation sets in.
If you like living in good health, I recommend getting tested for vitamin D insufficiency. All you have to do is ask your doctor for a 25-hydroxy vitamin D test. Set your goal for maintaining levels of at least 50-60 ng/ml.
However, if you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, closer to 75 to 85 ng/ml is better. These higher levels will also help boost your immune response against viral infections, which is something we all want to do these days.
- If your levels are 30 ng/ml or lower, take at least 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 in the cholecalciferol form each day and retest in three months. (For best results, look for one that has a low dose of vitamin K2 between 45-100 mcg and if you can find it, one that also includes vitamin A between 1,000-2,000 IU.)
- If your levels are 31 to 40 ng/ml, supplement with 5,000 IU daily for three months. Then retest.
- If your numbers are over 40, you’re not deficient. Still, it’s a good idea to take 2,000-4,000 IU daily to maintain sufficient levels.
And don’t forget to take your omega-3 fish oil capsules!
As far as I’m concerned, 1,000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids each day is not enough. I believe everyone should be taking 2,000 mg to 3,000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids every day.
Look for an omega-3 supplement that contains oil from fresh, wild-caught, deep-sea fish. Make sure it’s been molecularly distilled and tested for purity.
Combine these recommendations with a healthy diet and regular physical activity, and you can literally reduce your biological age by months… maybe even years!
SOURCES:
Errickson LB, Jin Y, Zemeckis D, Hallman WK. Seafood Consumption Trends among U.S. Consumers: Influences of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Foods. 2024 Aug 26;13(17):2682.
Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Gängler S, Wieczorek M, Belsky DW, Ryan J, Kressig RW, Stähelin HB, Theiler R, et al. Individual and additive effects of vitamin D, omega-3 and exercise on DNA methylation clocks of biological aging in older adults from the DO-HEALTH trial. Nat Aging. 2025 Mar;5(3):376-385.
Ogłuszka M, Lipiński P, Starzyński RR. Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Telomeres-Are They the Elixir of Youth? Nutrients. 2022 Sep 9;14(18):3723.
Yang CY, Leung PS, Adamopoulos IE, Gershwin ME. The implication of vitamin D and autoimmunity: a comprehensive review. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2013 Oct;45(2):217-26.
Ruggiero C, Tafaro L, Cianferotti L, Tramontana F, Macchione IG, Caffarelli C, Virdis A, Ferracci M, Rinonapoli G, Mecocci P, Napoli N, Calsolaro V. Targeting the Hallmarks of Aging with Vitamin D: Starting to Decode the Myth. Nutrients. 2024 Mar 21;16(6):906.
