Many of us grew up with the absolute conviction that fish was “brain food.” We never knew the reason why, or if it was even true. But as it turns out: Fish really is brain food.
A series of recent scientific studies reveal that fish oils have a salutary impact on what is undeniably the scourge of old age: memory loss and forgetfulness. A trial conducted by the bioscience company, Martek, supplies evidence that the consumption of the Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils both improve memory and augment learning as well.
More specifically, the Martek study underscores the beneficial effects of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), one of the Omega-3 fatty acids. Researchers are further confident that DHA will play a considerable therapeutic role in the coming years—helping slow down memory loss in the elderly population and, in some instances, arrest and reverse declines. Dr. Yurko-Mauro, who administered the study, remarked how participants who took the DHA supplements realized benefits “roughly equivalent to having the learning and memory skills of someone three years younger.” He noted, too, how these same individuals experienced close to “double the reduction in errors on a test that measures learning and memory performance,” when contrasted with persons not taking the supplements.
It is sincerely felt that, upon further testing, Omega-3 fatty acids will aid and abet the treatment of such insidious brain diseases as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. In a comparable study, UCLA researchers uncovered how Omega-3 fatty acids produce a brain plaque-fighting protein that is often in short supply in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. With these fatty acids now clearly acknowledged as brain plaque-busters, early detection of mental decline and corresponding memory loss becomes even more critical.
These breakthroughs couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. Courtesy of copious medical advances and life-extending medications, the average life span is on the rise. Today, approximately 4.5 million men and women have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. And, as the sprawling baby-boomer generation retires in droves in the coming years, between 11 and 16 million individuals could be afflicted with the disease by 2050.
The good news is that cold-water fish—salmon, mackerel, herring, and others—are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, the fish oils that can assist us in remaining mentally sharp, as well as live both longer and more fulfilling lives. Because these heartening test results are expected to augur more significant medical advances in the years ahead, the ready availability of fish oil supplements are cause for genuine optimism.
