Why Scientists Say Fish Oil Holds One of the Greatest Secrets to Longevity
Lipid molecules derived from fatty acids, their mission is to guide the process of resolving inflammation, as was discovered in a study published in October 2002 by a team of scientists from Harvard University led by Charles N. Serhan.
In 1901, life expectancy was about 40 years. Four decades later, he was almost 70. Today we dream of breaking the 100-year barrier, but yes, enjoying the healthiest possible longevity because we not only want to live longer, but we strive to do it better.
We are facing what Spanish scientist Juan Carlos Izpisua calls a “second revolution” in life expectancy thanks to advances in the biomedical community, especially in the last 25 years, which have focused much of their efforts on research. an enemy as silent as it is deadly: inflammation.
Accelerating the process of physical frailty (sarcopenia, osteoporosis, etc.) and triggering many chronic pathologies associated with aging, such as cardiovascular or neurodegenerative diseases, Fighting inflammation has become one of the main obsessions of scientists studying ways to slow down (stop?) our biological clocks..
“Inflammation underlies a wide range of chronic diseases responsible for more than half of deaths in the world due to heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes, chronic kidney diseasenon-alcoholic fatty liver disease, autoimmune or neurodegenerative diseases,” explains Dr. Angel Durantes, expert in anti-aging medicine and technical director of Longevitas.
Before we get started, it’s worth clarifying that there are two types of inflammation. spicywhich is punctual and caused by blows, burns, etc. and which we usually treat with classic anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, and Chronic inflammationassociated with degenerative processes associated with specific pathologies for which there are no treatments.
We’re talking about inflammation, which “we don’t see, but it exists and which we can measure” and which, as Durantes points out, is the cause of most of our diseases. “We know that the major diseases associated with the aging process (cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, metabolic, cancer and musculoskeletal diseases) have very high inflammatory component. Thus, inflammation, already included in the range of markers of aging, has already become a target that needs to be influenced.”
Chronic inflammation, which is of great concern to proponents of longevity science, “accelerates aging and over time can begin to damage healthy cells, tissues and organs, affecting various systems. Over time, all this, in addition, may cause DNA damage, tissue death and irreparable damage“, says Ilona Calparsoro, CEO of Longevitas.
Also known as chronic systemic inflammation, “its occurrence is usually associated with bad habits” and can have very serious consequences for our health. It is estimated that “more than 90% of all known diseases have a component of chronic inflammation. Moreover, chronic inflammatory diseases are recognized leading cause of death in the modern world“, Add.
The protagonist of the chilling cover of Time magazine, where she was called “secret killer” “Near 10% of the world’s population suffers from chronic inflammationa complex biochemical process passing through different phases.”
And the worst thing is that we, without realizing it, are “feeding the monster” by our habit of throwing away medications whenever inflammation manifests itself in the form of pain. “When we treat inflammation with classic anti-inflammatories, we block the entire natural process our body has to do to deal with it.. These drugs may be “worth it” if used to treat a specific inflammation for a short time, but in the long term they deactivate the entire natural resolution process, blocking it completely,” warns Calparsoro.
But that is not all. In this case, if the inflammation is not addressed properly, it can lead to severe tissue damage. Thus, the new trend in modern medicine is to eliminate inflammation rather than block it. “To carry out this process, the body, which is very wise, has its own tools – spms (“specialized pro-absorbable lipid mediators”), lipid molecules derived from fatty acids, among which are resolvins, whose mission is to guide the process of resolving inflammation, as found in a study published in October 2002 by a team of scientists at Harvard University led by Charles N. Serhan.
How do resolvins work? “It was as if they were orchestra conductors, lead operations to restore damaged tissue caused by inflammation, cleanse dead cells and return to normal life.
The scientific evidence supporting the clinical effects of resolvins is overwhelming. “Since their discovery in the early 2000s, 1044 scientific publications in the USA confirming its effectiveness. for pathologies from such diverse fields of medicine as cardiology, pulmonology, dentistry or dermatology.”
The bad news is that over time, injuries that don’t heal well, bad habits, or overuse of drugs like ibuprofen, among other reasons,”our body loses resolvins and therefore their natural ability to fight inflammation is reduced.
Good that “Science has been able to isolate resolvin precursors in fish oil – the drivers of its natural production. and thanks to scientific advances in food technology, it has become possible to extract these molecules and put them into a capsule. “There are over 1,500 articles supporting the effectiveness of p-resolvin supplements in increasing the natural production of resolvin in our bodies.”
More than a decade ago, Dr. Durantes saw the revolution that p-resolvins were about to bring about in the fight against inflammation. “At the time, I was in the transition from sports medicine to healthy aging and longevity medicine and thought how interesting this product was for anyone involved in sports. Because an athlete, regardless of his level, always hurts. something or there is discomfort due to some kind of inflammatory process. Subsequently, I was able to verify how important is this in the area of longevity?because one of the pillars of healthy aging is the fight against chronic, silent, persistent inflammation and this is sometimes difficult to explain, since many patients still confuse it with edema.
In the United States, he points out, “resolvin precursors have been used for several years, especially in a highly competitive field as a way to accelerate and enhance the recovery of professional athletes in whom inflammatory processes arise not only as a result of injury, but also due to stress during training or competition. And also in different fields of medicine, such as cardiology, oncology, dermatology or dentistry, since they all have a common presence of inflammation.”
Businessman and advisory partner of Longevitas, Aitor Osio admits how much he would have liked to have this nutritional supplement as an ally during his football career. “I would have loved to have used this resolvin precursor during my active years to combat this is inflammation that occurs when the body is pushed to its limits. I’m convinced that I would have helped reduce recovery time after overload, dislocations or bruises This usually occurs in contact sports such as football. And even minimize or reduce the discomfort or pain that in the last years of my career I experienced in every match or training.”
Aitor Osio has already included this new addition in the list of recommendations that Dr. Durantes has given him to continue his successful life outside of the stadiums. “Besides business, I continue intense training. I have a passion for tennis and give it my all on the court.. For this reason, I must take the utmost care of my joints, which have suffered normal wear and tear over the years of my career as a professional footballer. I have had several interventions, cartilage damage, etc., and I am convinced that this resolvin precursor will help me improve and, of course, slow down all those degenerative processes that could have been started,” he concludes.