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Fish Oil Fights Alzheimer's and Memory Decline
Dr. Andrew Weil

Scientists at the University of California at Irvine have reported that omega-3 fatty acids may slow the growth of two distinct brain lesions that are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.

A new study using genetically modified mice is the first to demonstrate that DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, can delay the development of protein “tangles” in brain cells. DHA also reduces levels of beta amyloid, another protein which can cluster in the brain and form plaques.

Mice in a control group ate food that mimics a typical American diet, with a 10 to one ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids. Studies indicate that a proper ratio is important to maintain health, with the ideal being 3:1 to 5:1.

Mice in three test groups were given food with a 1:1 ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids. One of these groups received supplemental DHA only. Two groups received DHA, plus additional omega-6 fatty acids. After three months, mice in all of the test groups had lower levels of both proteins than mice in the control group, but at nine months, only mice on the DHA diet had lower levels. These results suggest that DHA works better on its own than when paired with omega-6 fatty acids.

The research appeared in the April 18, 2007, issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

Perhaps no piece of nutritional advice in the year 2007 is more relevant than this one: to reduce your risk of a wide variety of diseases including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s, consume more omega-3 fatty acids and fewer omega-six fatty acids. A good way to do this: add wild-caught fatty fish such as Alaskan salmon to your diet, and reduce consumption of fried food, which tends to be saturated with omega-6-rich soybean oil.