More Good News About Omega 3 Fatty Acids

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More Good News About Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Fish IS Brain Food

Even our grandmothers told us fish was " brain food " -- and now

scientists have evidence to back the claim.

Researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the

University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) found that a diet high

in docosahexenoic acid, or DHA -- an omega-3 fatty acid found in

relatively high concentrations in cold-water fish -- dramatically

slowed the progression of Alzheimer's disease in mice. Specifically,

DHA cut the harmful brain plaques that mark the disease. The results

appear in the March 23 online edition of the Journal of Neuroscience.

 

Therapy that is Easily Available

Senior author Greg M. Cole, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at the Greater Los

Angeles VA Healthcare System and UCLA, said that unlike many studies

with mice, this one points to the benefits of a therapy that is easily

available and already touted for other medical conditions. DHA --

either from food sources such as fish and soy, or in fish-oil

supplements -- is recommended by many cardiologists for heart health,

based on scores of previous studies.

" The good news from this study is that we can buy the therapy at a

supermarket or drug store, " said Cole. " DHA has a tremendous safety

profile -- essentially no side effects -- and clinical trial evidence

supports giving DHA supplements to people at risk for cardiovascular

disease. "

 

About the Study

The new study involved older mice genetically altered to develop

Alzheimer's disease. The researchers fed one group of the mice

DHA-fortified chow. The control mice ate a normal or DHA-depleted

diet. After three to five months -- the equivalent of several years in

human biology -- the high-DHA group had 70-percent less buildup of

amyloid protein in the brain. This sticky protein makes up the

plaques, or patches, that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's.

A similar study by Cole's group published in Neuron last fall showed

that DHA protected against damage to the " synaptic " areas where brain

cells communicate and enabled mice to perform better on memory tests.

 

The studies, say the scientists, suggest that even people who are

genetically predisposed to the disease may be able to delay it by

boosting their DHA intake.

 

Omega-3 Deficient Diets

Omega-3 fatty acids, typically deficient in the American diet, are

essential for human health. DHA in particular is vital to proper brain

function, as well as eye health and other body processes. In recent

years epidemiologists have tied fish-rich diets to a lower incidence

of Alzheimer's disease and homed in on DHA as the preventive factor.

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements are now being tested in clinical trials

with early-stage Alzheimer's patients in the United States, Canada and

Sweden to see if the therapy really slows the disease.

Food sources of omega-3 fatty acids include fish such as salmon,

halibut, mackerel and sardines, as well as almonds, walnuts, soy, and

DHA-enriched eggs. Concerns about mercury contamination in fish have

helped popularize purified DHA supplements based on fish oil or algae.

 

A Spice that Works Too

Last year, Cole's team identified another nutrient that appears to

combat Alzheimer's plaques in mice: curcumin, the yellow pigment in

turmeric, one of the spices that make up curry powder. Researchers

became interested in curcumin's potential to prevent or treat

Alzheimer's disease after noting the low prevalence of dementia among

the elderly in India, where curry is a staple.

Cole is the associate director for research at VA's Los Angeles-based

Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, and a professor of

medicine and neurology at UCLA. Lead author for the new study was

Giselle P. Lim, PhD, a UCLA postgraduate researcher in Cole's group.

Working with them were colleagues from VA, UCLA and the National

Institutes of Health. The study was supported by the National

Institute on Aging, VA, the Alzheimer's Association, and the Canadian

Institutes of Health Research.

 

My Opinion: This study gives hope for prevention of Alzheimer's

Disease. DHA and Omega-3 fatty acids are so essential to our health,

that we really need to think more about eating more foods like fish,

" omega-eggs, " walnuts, soy, pumpkin seeds, and flax. Since no side

affects are apparent other than the " fish burps " you may get from

taking supplements, I suggest that anyone who has a family history of

Alzheimer's should go ahead and take fish oil, flax oil, or DHA

supplements.

 

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

 

 

 

--

Diana Gonzalez

 

 

 

 

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying - the longer a problem is

carried, the heavier it gets. Don't take things too seriously - live a

life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

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