DHA Neuromins and Alzheimers

Results from a new study conducted at Tufts University suggest that having increased docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels in the blood and eating about three fish meals each week are associated with a significant 48 percent reduction in the risk of Alzheimer's disease in elderly men and women.

Researchers at Tufts University in Boston measured the fatty acid content of plasma obtained from 1137 men and women with a mean age of 75 who were part of the Framingham Heart Study. The subjects' diets were assessed by questionnaire and those free of dementia were followed for a mean of 10 years. During the study they were assessed for the onset of new dementia including Alzheimer's Disease.

Participants who had diets rich in DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, reduced their risk of developing dementia considerably compared with those whose diets contained low amounts of DHA. These results are consistent with a study published in Archives of Neurology in July 2003.

"These dramatic results show how older adults can play a significant role in their neurological health by increasing their intake of fish, fish oil or especially, DHA," said Ernst Schaefer, MD, senior scientist and director of the Lipid Metabolism Laboratory at Tufts University.