A study has found eating more oily fish can increase brain size in later life and may help prevent age-related mental decline. The research shows people with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil preserve bigger brains as they age. In particular, they maintain more nerve cells in the brains key memory center. The larger neural volume linked to omega-3 intake is equivalent to reducing the effects of brain ageing by up to two years, say scientists. Researchers measured levels of two essential omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, in the blood of 1,111 women taking part in the US Womens Health Initiative Memory Study. Eight years later, when the women had an average age of 78, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed to measure their brain size. Those who started out with higher intakes of omega-3 were found to have larger total brain volumes. A doubling of omega-3 levels was associated with a 0.7 per cent increase in overall brain size. In addition, the hippocampus area was 2.7 per cent larger in women with higher levels of the fatty acids. forbes/sites/alicegwalton/2014/01/22/could-fish-oil-protect-the-aging-brain/
Posted on: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 23:03:41 +0000
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