Excess Omega-6 Intake Speeds Telomere Damage and Aging

Will the real evil fat please stand up?  A new study shows that eating too much food of any type will shorten your telomeres and cause accelerated aging.  However, the worst type of food appears to be excess consumption of omega-6 fatty acids, not saturated fats.

The research evaluated the diets and measured telomereA telomere is a repeating sequence of DNA at the end of a chromosome. Each time a cell replicates and divides the telomere loses some of its length. Eventually the telomere runs out and the cell can no longer divide and rejuvenate, triggering a poor state of cell health that contributes to disease risk and eventual cell death. length of people at age 30, then repeated the measurements at age 42.  Those who ate the most food had shorter telomeres, with omega-6 oils showing as the worst offenders.

Omega-6 fatty acids permeate the American food supply.  You’ll find them in potato chips, corn chips, and French fries.  They are often the base oil in many salad dressings, and are the primary fatty acid in corn oil, soy oil, and other vegetable oils.  They are typically modified into partially hydrogenated vegetable oil for use in breads and packaged foods.

During human evolution the ratio of omega-6 oils to omega-3 oils (DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. and EPA Eicosapentanoic acid. Type of long chain essential fatty acid - Omega 3 oil. Works in concert with DHA. Must gotten through food sources such as deep cold water fish or some limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. ) was 4 to 1.  Today, in a typical American diet that ratio is 20 to 1 or even worse.  The imbalance of omega-6 oils to omega-3 oils causes many problems, since there is competition for enzymes and the relative lack of omega-3 tilts one’s body into an inflammatory condition.  I have previously reported that omega-3 oils actually help preserve your telomeres.

Telomere length, a key marker of biological age, is shortened prematurely when an adverse state of biochemistry exists, such as the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 oils.  Overeating in general is one way to shorten your telomeres, and excess consumption of omega-6 oils appears to be the fastest way to grow old in a hurry.