People who have low levels of omega-3 fatty acids, the “good”
fats found in fish, may have thinking and memory problems at a
younger age than those who get plenty of the fats. The finding
adds to a growing body of evidence that omega-3s are important
for brain health and may help to protect against Alzheimer’s and
other forms of dementia in old age. “People with lower blood
levels of omega-3 fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were
equivalent to about two years of structural brain aging,” said
study author Dr. Zaldy S. Tan of the Easton Center for
Alzheimer’s Disease Research and the Division of Geriatrics at
the University of California, Los Angeles. Smaller brain volumes
have been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The findings appeared in the journal Neurology. Eating plenty of
fish has been tied to a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes,
and several large population studies have shown that it lowers
the risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia as well.
This study actually m