In
the recent research shows, fish oil could help prevent Alzheimer's and
give you a bigger brain. The people with higher levels of omega-3 fatty
acids found in fish oil can have bigger brain volumes in later age. The
method may be the equivalent to preserving one or two years of brain
health. Eating more fish may help you bigger brain and protection from
Alzheimer’s. Shrinking brain vain is a sign of Alzheimer’s and it is
highly advised in the recent study to eat fish at least twice a week,
including one portion of oily fish. The key omega-3 fatty acids is
docosahexaenoic acid which is supposed to support nerve cells
communicate with each other.
The richest source is oily fish
such as herring, mackerel and sardines. The study conducted on 1,111
women who were part of the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study. After
8 years women were aged around 78, MRI scans were taken to measure
their brain volume; those with higher levels of omega-3s had bigger
total brain volumes 8 years later. And those with double as high levels
of fatty acids (7.5 vs. 3.4 %) had a 0.7 % bigger brain volume, with the
increase measuring up to two inches. The lower levels of fatty acids
were linked to smaller sized brains. It is important to achieve higher
level of fatty acids through diet and use of supplements and effect on
brain volume is equivalent of delaying the normal loss of brain cells
that comes with aging by 1 or 2 years. The higher levels of omega-3s
also had a 2.7 % bigger volume in the hippocampus area, the brain’s key
memory center.
In Alzheimer’s disease, the
hippocampus starts to shrink even before symptoms appear. The study
suggests the higher tissue reserve of omega-3 fatty acids may slow the
loss of cognitive function that can accompany brain atrophy. The higher
omega-3 tissue levels can be obtained by dietary changes actually may
help in delaying cognitive ageing and or dementia.’ So far the best
dietary source of omega 3 fatty acids is oily fish because the human
body cannot yield omega-3 fatty acids. Moreover white fish is also a
healthy food including cod, haddock and plaice though it comprises lower
levels of vital fatty acids. Also fish oil supplements are highly
recommended as protection against heart attacks and unexpected death,
with consistent fish eaters a third more likely to survive a heart
attack. Omega-3 fats work in numerous ways to decrease heart attack risk
by cutting blood fats, sinking the chances of a blood clot and blocking
dangerous heart rhythms that might otherwise prove fatal.
Now
it is well thought that omega-3 fatty acids in fish oils may decrease
inflammation of the brain and play a part in brain development and nerve
cell regeneration. There has been diverse evidence as to the benefits
of omega-3 fish oils on the brain and whether they may defend against
memory decline and dementia. The study advises that higher levels of
omega-3 fatty acids in blood are linked to bigger brain size but the
likely reasons for this association need further investigation. The
brain gets smaller in people with dementia, but it is unclear from the
study what effect larger brain size would have on memory and thinking in
the volunteers or their long-term risk of developing dementia. The
right way to measure whether omega-3 could protect against dementia is
through clinical trials and so far, trials of omega-3 supplementation
have not shown benefits in protecting against cognitive decline. The
brain shrinkage can be linked to dementia and bigger brain volumes could
indicate a better ability to cope with the ravages of the condition,
but it’s a big leap to draw this conclusion. Whilst interesting, this
study still leaves us in the dark about what effect eating fish has on
the development of dementia.
