In Framingham data, smokers with a high omega-3 index had the same life expectancy as non-smokers with a low omega-3 index.
"the smokers that took high omega-3 had the same life expectancy as the non-smokers with low omega-3." (said at 1:01:07)
In an observational analysis of the Framingham Offspring Cohort (n = 2,240, median follow-up 11 years) published by McBurney and colleagues in 2021, participants with higher baseline red blood cell Omega-3 Index (O3I) had lower all-cause mortality. In survival modeling comparing combinations of smoking status and O3I, smokers with a high O3I had a predicted survival probability comparable to non-smokers with a low O3I (both translating to roughly a 4.7-year loss in predicted remaining life expectancy compared to high-O3I non-smokers). However, these findings represent observational associations of erythrocyte membrane levels, not interventional evidence from randomized trials showing that taking omega-3 supplements offsets the mortality risks of smoking.
- context: Using an erythrocyte fatty acid fingerprint to predict risk of all-cause mortality: the Fr… (The American journal of clinical nutrition 2021)
"In this community-based population in their mid-60s, RBC FA patterns were as predictive of risk for death during the next 11 y as standard risk factors." (abstract, conclusions, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi)