Omega-3 DHA boost memory

(daily supplements with the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid)

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Daily supplements with the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may improve both memory function and heart health in healthy older adults, according to a new study from Martek.

The results, specific to people with a decline in cognitive function that occurs naturally with age, were presented at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna. Almost 500 people took part in the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center, six month study, which also recorded improvements in the heart rate of people receiving the DHA supplement. The study was funded by Martek Biosciences.

“In our study, healthy people with memory complaints who took algal DHA capsules for six months had almost double the reduction in errors on a test that measures learning and memory performance versus those who took a placebo,” said Yurko-Mauro, PhD, associate director of clinical research at Martek and lead researcher of the study. “The benefit is roughly equivalent to having the learning and memory skills of someone three years younger.” Cognitive decline occurs naturally as we age, and precedes diseases such as Alzheimer's. However, according to other findings also presented at ICAD 2009 in Vienna, the omega-3 fatty acid supplements did not benefit people already suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientists from Oregon Health and Science University, the University of California, San Diego, Boston University, and Martek report that DHA had no general impact on the cognitive health of people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's.

“These two studies raise the possibility that [interventions] for Alzheimer's must be given very early in the disease for them to be truly effective,” said William Thies, PhD, chief medical and scientific officer at the Alzheimer's Association. “For that to happen, we need to get much better at early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's, in order to test therapies at earlier stages of the disease and enable earlier intervention,” he added.

The Alzheimer’s study involved 402 people with an average age of 76, ‘probable’ Alzheimer’s, dietary DHA intakes of no greater than 200 mg per day, and a Mini-mental state exam score (MMSE) between 14 and 26. The participants were randomly assigned to receive a daily DHA dose of 2 grams per day, or placebo, for 18 months. Results of the double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health, showed no evidence for benefit in the studied population. Blood levels of DHA did increase, however. ...http://www.eurekalert.org

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