United States – A new study showed that fish oil supplements may keep Alzheimer’s disease away from high-risk senior citizens.
Older people whose genes put them at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s saw that nerve cells in their brains were broken down more slowly on fish oil capsule use, researchers revealed on August 1 in the journal JAMA Network Open, as reported by HealthDay.
Benefits for APOE4 Gene Carriers
These people are willing gene carriers of the APOE4 gene, which is undeniably linked to the early onset of Alzheimer’s, as indicated by the National Institute on Aging.
“The fact that neuronal integrity breakdown was slowed in people randomized to omega-3 treatment who are also at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease is remarkable and warrants a larger clinical trial in more diverse populations in the future,” said researcher Gene Bowman, a neurology instructor with the McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
However, researchers pointed out that fish oil capsules do not improve the overall health of seniors in general.
“Our findings showed that over three years, there was not a statistically significant difference between placebo and the group that took fish oil,” said researcher Dr. Lynne Shinto, a professor of neurology with the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine. “I do not think it would be detrimental but again I would not recommend people take fish oil in order to avoid dementia.
Study Details and Findings
In the study, 102 participants, all over 75, with low levels of omega 3, the active component in fish oil, were used.
In background notes, researchers said that fish oil supplements are advocated for the enhancement of brain function in people with memory issues.
Patients underwent MRI brain scans at baseline and three-year follow-up searching for white matter lesions in the brain.
All had mildly increased white matter lesions but were otherwise free from dementia. Such lesions can impede blood vessels’ capacity to supply brain cells with nutrients, thus raising one’s subsequent risk of dementia, scientists said.
Patients were split into two groups, where half of them received fish oil supplements, while the other half took a soybean oil capsule.
MRI scans showed that those who took fish oil experienced a slight delay in the growth of white matter lesions, which is not statistically different, according to the researchers.
Innovative Approach to Dementia Prevention
But more importantly, those APOE4 carriers taking fish oil saw a decrease in the breakdown of their brain cell integrity within one year of starting fish oil compared with those who took the placebo, as reported by HealthDay.
“This is the first dementia prevention trial to use modern prevention tools, such as a blood test and brain scan, to identify not only people at high risk for dementia but also those well-suited to receive a specific nutritional intervention,” Bowman said.