A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids helps keep the DNA of heart patients from unraveling, which may help explain why fish oil is so beneficial after a heart attack, said Reuters. Cardiologists have known for a long time now that omega-3 fish oil seems to be beneficial for patients with coronary heart disease. What has not been clear is why fish oil is so beneficial. Dr. Ramin Farzaneh-Far of the University of California, San Francisco, decided to look at a new mechanism by which omega-3 fatty acids might work. "We found a very clear association that increasing levels of the amount of omega-3 fish oil in the blood was associated with a decrease in the rate of biological aging," Farzaneh-Far said in a telephone interview. But the mechanism should be proven.