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A lack of omega-3 oil in the diet can shorten life even more than smoking, new research warns. 

Scientists found that smoking knocked four years off life expectancy whereas low levels of the fatty acid — found in oily fish such as salmon and mackerel — could reduce it by five years. 

The oil is known to be good for the heart and reduces blood clots. 
 
A good level is eight per cent or higher, intermediate is between four and eight per cent and low is four per cent and below. 

Study lead researcher Dr Michael McBurney, of the University of Guelph in Canada, said: 'It is interesting to note that in Japan, where the mean Omega-3 Index is greater than eight per cent, the expected life span is around five years longer than it is in the United States, where the mean Omega-3 Index is about five per cent.