Fish oils

fish & omega-3 oils

Fatty acids help the brain

A study involving 99 healthy older adults found that levels of monounsaturated fatty acids were associated with cognitive performance and the organization of the brain's attention network.

MUFAs are found in olive oils, nuts and avocados, and are a component of the Mediterranean diet, which has been associated with slower cognitive decline and lower dementia risk.

The study found that general intelligence was associated with how efficiently the dorsal attention network was functionally organized used a measure called small-world propensity, which describes how well the neural network is connected within locally clustered regions as well as across globally integrated systems.

In turn, they found that those with higher levels of MUFAs in their blood had greater small-world propensity in their dorsal attention network, suggesting that this is part of the reason for the link between diet and cognition.

And in another study by the same researchers, involving 94 older adults (65-75), blood levels of three omega-3 fatty acids (ALA, stearidonic acid and ecosatrienoic acid) were associated with levels of fluid intelligence, and this was mediated by the size of the left frontoparietal cortex. A larger left frontoparietal cortex was associated with higher levels of the omega-3 acids and better performance on tests of fluid intelligence.

A second study found that the size of a brain region called the fornix was associated with a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the blood, and a more robust fornix was linked to better memory. The fornix is one of the first brain regions to be compromised in Alzheimer's disease.

Reference: 

Zamroziewicz, M. K., Talukdar, M. T., Zwilling, C. E., & Barbey, A. K. (2017). Nutritional status, brain network organization, and general intelligence. NeuroImage, 161, 241–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.08.043

Zamroziewicz Marta K.,Paul Erick J.,Zwilling Chris E., et al. Predictors of Memory in Healthy Aging: Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Balance and Fornix White Matter Integrity[J]. Aging and disease, 2017, 8(4): 372-383. http://www.aginganddisease.org/EN/10.14336/AD.2017.0501

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Stave off cognitive decline with seafood

Data from 915 older adults (mean age 81.4) participating in the very long-running Rush Memory and Aging Project, has found that those who reported eating seafood less than once a week showed greater cognitive decline compared to those who ate at least one seafood meal per week.

The food questionnaires included four types of seafood: tuna sandwiches; fish sticks, fish cakes and fish sandwiches; fresh fish as a main dish; and shrimp, lobster and crab. Those who ate at least one of those seafood meals per week ate an average of two seafood meals per week. Those and those who ate less than one of those seafood meals per week ate an average of 0.5 meals per week.

People who ate more seafood had better semantic memory and better perceptual speed (the ability to quickly compare letters, objects and patterns), but there wasn’t a significant difference in the rate of decline in episodic memory, working memory or visuospatial ability.

Factors such as education, physical activity, smoking and participating in mentally stimulating activities were taken into account in the analysis.

Interestingly, the protective association of seafood was stronger among those with the “Alzheimer’s gene” (APOE-ε4).

Reference: 

Ondine van de Rest, Yamin Wang, Lisa L. Barnes, Christine Tangney, David A. Bennett, Martha Clare Morris. APOEε4 and the associations of seafood and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids with cognitive decline. Neurology May 2016, 86 (22) 2063-2070; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000002719

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Eating fish linked to better sleep and higher I.Q. for kids

A largish Chinese study, involving 541 9-11-year-olds, has found that those who ate fish at least once a week slept better and had higher IQ scores, on average, than those who ate fish less frequently or not at all.

The study suggests that sleep may be a reason for the association previous research has found between the consumption of fish / omega-3 oils and better cognition.

Children who reported eating fish weekly scored 4.8 points higher on the IQ tests than those who said they “seldom” or “never” consumed fish. Those whose meals sometimes included fish scored 3.3 points higher.

Reference: 

Liu, J., Cui, Y., Li, L., Wu, L., Hanlon, A., Pinto-Martin, J., Raine, A., & Hibbeln, J. R. (2017). The mediating role of sleep in the fish consumption – cognitive functioning relationship: A cohort study. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 17961. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-17520-w

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Diet may help preserve cognitive function

Analysis of data from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and AREDS2, involving a total of around 8,000 older adults, has found that those with the greatest adherence to the Mediterranean diet had the lowest risk of cognitive impairment. High fish and vegetable consumption appeared to have the greatest protective effect. At 10 years, AREDS2 participants with the highest fish consumption had the slowest rate of cognitive decline.

Those with the Alzheimer's gene ApoE4 on average had lower cognitive function scores and greater decline than those without the gene, but close adherence to a Mediterranean diet had similar benefits for people with and without the ApoE4 gene.

Reference: 

Keenan TD, Agron E, Mares J, Clemons TE, van Asten F, Swaroop A, and Chew E, for the AREDS and AREDS2 research groups. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and cognitive function in the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies 1 & 2. April 14, 2020. Alzheimer's and Dementia.

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Nutrients linked to better brain connectivity, cognition in older adults

  • A study found that higher levels of several key nutrients were associated with more efficient brain connectivity and better cognitive performance in older adults.

A study involving 116 healthy older adults (65-75) has found that higher levels of several key nutrients in the blood were associated with more efficient brain connectivity and better cognitive performance. In fact, the findings suggest that the level of nutrients governs the strength of the association between functional brain network efficiency and cognitive performance.

The study looked at 32 key nutrients in the Mediterranean diet. The effective nutrients, which appeared to work synergistically, included omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, carotenoids, lycopene, riboflavin, folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

A pattern of omega-3s, omega-6s and carotene was linked to better functional brain network efficiency.

Omega-3 fatty acids are abundant in fish, walnuts and Brussels sprouts; omega-6 fatty acids are found in flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and pistachios; lycopene is the vivid red pigment in tomatoes, watermelon and a few other fruits and vegetables; alpha- and beta-carotenoids give sweet potatoes and carrots their characteristic orange color.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/uoia-sln121918.php

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Canola oil impairs brains of Alzheimer's mice; olive oil helps them

  • Studies involving genetically engineered mice found that canola oil was linked to worse cognition, more amyloid plaques, and greater synapse loss, while extra-virgin olive oil was linked to fewer plaques, less inflammation, and better memory.

A mouse study has found that canola oil in the diet was associated with worsened memory, worsened learning ability, and weight gain in Alzheimer's mice.

Canola oil-treated animals also had greatly reduced levels of amyloid beta 1-40 (the “good” version), leading to more amyloid-beta plaques (made from amyloid beta 1-42), and a significant decrease in synapses.

The mice were given the equivalent of about two tablespoons of canola oil daily. The mice began their enriched diet at 6 months of age, before they developed any signs of Alzheimer's.

A previous study by the same researchers found that Alzheimer’s mice fed a diet enriched with extra-virgin olive oil had reduced levels of amyloid plaques and phosphorylated tau and experienced memory improvement.

Moreover, olive oil reduced inflammation in the brain, improved synaptic integrity, and dramatically increased levels of autophagy (the process by which waste products from cells are cleared away).

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/tuhs-trc120617.php

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/tuhs-tse061917.php

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The right diet may slow cognitive decline in stroke survivors

  • An observational study involving over 100 stroke survivors suggests the MIND diet may help substantially slow cognitive decline in those impaired by stroke.

A pilot study involving 106 participants of the Rush Memory and Aging Project who had experienced a stroke followed participants for an average of 5.9 years, testing their cognitive function and monitoring their eating habits using food journals. It was found that those whose diets scored highest on the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet score had substantially slower rates of cognitive decline than those who scored lowest. The estimated effect of the diet remained strong even after taking into account participants' level of education and participation in cognitive and physical activities. Those who instead scored high on the Mediterranean or DASH diets did not show the same slower decline.

Both the Mediterranean and DASH diets have been shown to be protective against coronary artery disease and stroke, but this finding suggests the MIND diet is better for overall brain health.

The MIND diet is a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets. It has 15 components: 10 “brain-healthy food groups” and five unhealthy groups (red meat, butter, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food).

To adhere to the MIND diet, you need to

  • eat at least three daily servings of whole grains
  • eat a green leafy vegetable and one other vegetable every day
  • drink a regular glass of wine
  • snack most days on nuts
  • have beans every other day or so
  • eat poultry and berries at least twice a week
  • eat fish at least once a week
  • limit butter to less than 1 1/2 teaspoons a day
  • eat less than 5 servings a week of sweets and pastries
  • eat less than one serving per week of whole fat cheese, and fried or fast food.

The researchers stress that this is a preliminary study, observational only. They are currently seeking participants for a wider, intervention study.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/rumc-mdm012418.php

Reference: 

Laurel J. Cherian & Martha Clare Morris: Presentation at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2018 in Los Angeles, January 25.

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