Omega-3s may help people live longer; maybe people can lose weight on their own

Adapted from The Post's daily health blog.

Fighting aging

Do omega-3 fatty acids help stave off aging? A new study suggests the answer may be yes.

Previous research has shown that heart disease patients who get a lot of omega-3 fatty acids in their diets do better than those who don't. So Ramin Farzaneh-Far of the University of California at San Francisco and colleagues looked at structures known as telomeres, which are the ends of chromosomes and which have been linked to aging. Every time a cell divides, these structures get a little shorter. Evidence has been accumulating that the faster telomeres unravel, the shorter people may live.

In the new study, the researchers examined the telomeres in white blood cells called leukocytes in 608 patients with heart disease. Over five years, the telomeres of those who had the lowest levels of two omega-3 fatty acids known as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) shortened faster than those with the highest levels.

While more research is needed, the findings support the idea that omega-3 fatty acids may help people live longer.

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in oily fishes. Scientists suspect these fatty acids may reduce inflammation, prevent blood clots, lower blood pressure and have other benefits.

-- Rob Stein

DIY dieting

An entire industry has been built on the notion that people need expert guidance to achieve weight loss. But do we really need all that help?

I've been puzzling over this since I watched the TLC reality TV show "One Big Happy Family." In the show, a family of four -- two adults, two teens -- each of whom weighs more than 300 pounds, attempts to lose weight. Part of the show's premise is that the Cole family will do this on its own, with no "The Biggest Loser"-style coaching or other outside guidance.

It can be painful to watch Tameka, Norris, Amber and Shayne Cole stumble and fumble along the road to weight loss. They commit to clearing their house of all the junk food they've come to rely on, but they don't seem to have a firm grasp on how to prepare healthful foods that are tasty enough to satisfy them. And their ambles down the street don't look as though they'd burn enough calories to make a difference.

But apparently they're doing something right. The family has lost a total of more than 200 pounds, and they seem to have a good attitude about the weight-loss experience and are motivated to keep at it.

Does the real solution lie within each of us, rather than in all of the diet programs, books and devices that claim to be the only solution you'll ever need for your weight problem?

-- Jennifer LaRue Huget