Despite appearances, there’s nothing fishy about this health advice.
When it comes to living longer, New York City physician Dr. Michael Aziz has a bunch of supplements he recommends to patients — but adding just one could add more than four years to your life.
After telling The Post this month that taurine can help you live 7 to 8 years longer, he now says adding another pill has similar life-extending benefits and is great or your heart, your blood pressure and even your skin.
“We know that people who eat fish live longer, and the reason is fish oil is rich in omega-3s, which have heart health benefits,” said Aziz, author of the upcoming book The Ageless Revolution.
In fact, a 2021 study by the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute in Barcelona found that having higher levels of omega-3 acids in your blood can add nearly five years of longevity.
“Being a regular smoker takes 4.7 years off your life expectancy, the same as you gain if you have high levels of omega-3 acids in your blood,” said Dr. Aleix Sala-Vila, the author of the study.
Those omega-3s can come from simply eating fish like tuna, salmon and shrimp, but if you don’t get enough of it from your diet, a supplement can make up the difference.
The type of fish may make a difference, too: Women who ate small fish like sardines whole — from the head to the bones — showed a lower risk of dying from cancer and other causes in a Japanese study published earlier this year.
Aziz says fish oil can help with a laundry list of health concerns, including fighting inflammation, raising levels of good cholesterol, preventing plaque from forming in the arteries and reducing liver fat.
He noted that it can also help give you glowing skin because the polyunsaturated fatty acids are thought to lower inflammation and help keep skin hydrated.
Worried about the taste? The doc says to power through.
“I think the benefits outweigh any possible side effects.”
A little more longevity help
To really maximize the impact, Aziz recommends also adding selenium and Ubiquinol or CoQ10. Both help retain length of our telomeres, which play a key role in aging.
“Longer telomeres mean longer life,” he said.