Omega 3s and Brain Health

Author: kerriwhatley
 
People whose diet is lacking in omega-3 fatty acids–as found in fish, fish oil and supplements–are more likely to experience accelerated brain aging, a new study found.

People with lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were equivalent to about two years of brain aging,” said Dr. Zaldy S. Tan, a member of the UCLA Easton Center for Alzheimer’s disease Research in the Department of Neurology.

Tan and his colleagues compared blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids with MRI brain scans and cognitive tests. The research showed that the people in the bottom 25% scored lower on mental tests involving problem solving, multi-tasking and abstract thinking.

Tan’s team studied 1,575 people with an average age of 67 who were free of dementia. They controlled for such risk factors as age, smoking, gender, body mass index, physical activity and APOE, a gene known to be linked with dementia risk.

Tan said the MRI images showed those participants with lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids were more likely to have minute but significant structural changes in the brain. Specifically, MRIs for the low omega 3 fatty acids group showed higher white matter hyper intensity volume, as well as tiny lesions in the brain; these characteristics reflect an increased risk for both dementia and stroke, and according to Tan are consistent with signs of damage to the intricate network of blood vessels supplying oxygen and nutrients to the brain.

Tan said the next step in the research is to follow these people to see if the risk factors they observed translate directly into a higher rate of cognitive deterioration.

“This is an important new finding that supports omega-3 for brain health and brain size,” said Dr. Majid Fotuhi, chairman of the Neurology Institute for Brain Health and Fitness and assistant professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Fotuhi recommends his patients get 1,000 mg per day of DHA, a nutrient that increases blood flow and reduces inflammation in the brain, along with the toxic aggregation of amyloid in the brain–a protein believed to be linked to the progression of cognitive decline. DHA has the added benefit of improving mood and reducing symptoms of depression, he said.

Fatty fish, such as salmon, offer a concentrated source of the omega-3 fatty acids Tan and his colleagues cited in this study: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Vegetable and canola oils, soybeans, flaxseed, walnuts and vegetables including spinach, kale and salad greens are also a source of omega-3 fatty acids. These contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which the body partially converts to EPA and DHA.

Both types are thought to be beneficial, but unfortunately the typical American diet doesn’t contain enough of either. Choose My Plate, the government’s dietary guidelines, recommends eating seafood twice a week. Those for whom fish is not an option may wish to consider the option of omega-3 supplementation instead.