Studies champion omega-3s for slowing mental decline.
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Currently, about 12 million people in the US plus the EU suffer from Alzheimer's, with some estimates predicting this figure will have tripled by 2050. The direct and indirect cost of Alzheimer care is over $100 bn (€ 81 bn) in the US alone. The direct cost of Alzheimer care in the UK was estimated at £15 bn (€ 22 bn).
Increased bloods levels of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA could "postpone" age-related cognitive decline that may precede dementia and Alzheimer's disease, suggest two new studies. An increasing number of studies are reporting potential benefits for regular fish consumption and omega-3 fatty acids with respect to Alzheimer's, but only a limited number of studies have looked at the decline in cognitive function that precedes these diseases.
Two new studies published in the current issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition report that regular consumption of omega-3-rich food could prevent age-related cognitive decline.
The first study, led by Boukje Maria van Gelder from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, used a longitudinal assessment of 210 men without Alzheimer disease enrolled in the Zutphen Elderly Study. Dietary assessment was collected via cross-check dietary histories in 1990, when the subjects were 70-89 years of age. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).
The authors conclude that, over a period of five years, consumption of approximately 400 mg omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) per day had less cognitive decline than those who consumed only about 20 mg per day of the fatty acids. "To prevent cardiovascular disease mortality, the American Heart Association recommends the consumption of fish (preferably fatty fish) at least twice a week," wrote the authors. "That recommendation is compatible with the results of the current study."
A second study, led by May Beydoun from the University of North Carolina, used a prospective design to investigate the potential benefits of omega-3 levels in the blood with cognitive decline in 2251 white adults (average age 57 at baseline).
Blood fatty acid concentrations were measured in all subjects at the start of the study and correlated with cognitive function assessed three and nine years later. The tests assessed the subjects' verbal learning, recent memory, psychomotor performance, linguistic impairment, and global cognition. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the researchers report that global cognitive decline was not associated with omega-3 blood levels at baseline, but a subgroup analysis examining specific types of cognitive decline found that greater blood omega-3 fatty acid levels may prevent a decline in verbal fluency.
Alzheimer's Donation
Donate Online Now
.
Currently, about 12 million people in the US plus the EU suffer from Alzheimer's, with some estimates predicting this figure will have tripled by 2050. The direct and indirect cost of Alzheimer care is over $100 bn (€ 81 bn) in the US alone. The direct cost of Alzheimer care in the UK was estimated at £15 bn (€ 22 bn).
Increased bloods levels of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA could "postpone" age-related cognitive decline that may precede dementia and Alzheimer's disease, suggest two new studies. An increasing number of studies are reporting potential benefits for regular fish consumption and omega-3 fatty acids with respect to Alzheimer's, but only a limited number of studies have looked at the decline in cognitive function that precedes these diseases.
Two new studies published in the current issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition report that regular consumption of omega-3-rich food could prevent age-related cognitive decline.
The first study, led by Boukje Maria van Gelder from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, used a longitudinal assessment of 210 men without Alzheimer disease enrolled in the Zutphen Elderly Study. Dietary assessment was collected via cross-check dietary histories in 1990, when the subjects were 70-89 years of age. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).
The authors conclude that, over a period of five years, consumption of approximately 400 mg omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) per day had less cognitive decline than those who consumed only about 20 mg per day of the fatty acids. "To prevent cardiovascular disease mortality, the American Heart Association recommends the consumption of fish (preferably fatty fish) at least twice a week," wrote the authors. "That recommendation is compatible with the results of the current study."
A second study, led by May Beydoun from the University of North Carolina, used a prospective design to investigate the potential benefits of omega-3 levels in the blood with cognitive decline in 2251 white adults (average age 57 at baseline).
Blood fatty acid concentrations were measured in all subjects at the start of the study and correlated with cognitive function assessed three and nine years later. The tests assessed the subjects' verbal learning, recent memory, psychomotor performance, linguistic impairment, and global cognition. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the researchers report that global cognitive decline was not associated with omega-3 blood levels at baseline, but a subgroup analysis examining specific types of cognitive decline found that greater blood omega-3 fatty acid levels may prevent a decline in verbal fluency.
posted by Valery Yermalitsky at
6:32 AM
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