Mothers-to-be are being encouraged to eat oily fish to ensure
the healthy development of their babies’ brain, school
children are given omega 3 supplements to help improve behaviour
and performance and now it seems that the more mature among us
should pay close attention to the benefits of omega 3 for our own
cognitive health.
Alzheimer’s Disease affects around 750,000 people in the
UK alone - a figure that is growing. The common form of dementia,
it is characterised by progressive cognitive deterioration, memory
loss, impaired speech and skilled movement and a loss of
recognition. Despite its prevalence and a plethora of research,
there remains no cure for the disease, although standard treatment
with acetylcholinesterase inhibitor drugs can temporarily slow down
the progression of symptoms in some people. However, a brand new
study1 that investigates the role of omega 3 fatty acids
in the memory decline of Alzheimer patients may bring new hope to
sufferers.
The one year study, conducted in Sweden and presented at the
10th Annual Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related
Disorders in October 2006, included over two hundred patients in an
early stage of the disease. Each was randomly given a
pharmaceutical grade omega 3 supplement high in DHA (which the
researchers called a ‘DHA concentrate’) for the full
year, or an inactive placebo for six months, followed by the omega
3 supplement for the remainder of the study. Memory capacity among
all patients in the trial was measured with the MMSE (Mini Mental
State Examination) during the year. Those patients taking the omega
3 supplement showed a halting of memory decline, while the capacity
of those in the placebo group continued to deteriorate. When
switched to the same active treatment, the placebo group also
showed a halting of further memory decline. (Normally a patient
would lose four points on the MMSE scale in one year due to the
progression of the disease.) See fig 1.
Fig 1. Patients taking omega 3 showed a halting of memory
decline whilst the capacity of those taking a placebo continued to
decline.
1 . Freund-Levi Y, et al. Arch Neurol, Oct 2006;
63: 1402-1408.
‘These results are very positive and rather
unsuspected,’ said the head researcher, Dr Freund-Levi.
‘Acetylcholine esterase inhibitors are effective to some
extent, but they do not inhibit memory decline. The DHA concentrate
(omega 3 supplement) seems to do just that.’ Omega 3 DHA is
the primary structural component of brain tissue and has an
essential role in the propagation of electrical messages conducted
in the brain. Low levels of DHA have previously been associated
with Alzheimer’s and low blood levels of DHA have even been
correlated in those with general memory decline.
Dr Freund-Levi goes on: ‘We are now starting to realise
the importance of (omega 3) DHA in the brain’ It seems that
not only is DHA an important structural component of brain cells
but ‘DHA and its metabolites seem to exert a preventive
effect against development of brain cell death’. These
positive findings now indicate that early treatment with omega 3
can help to reduce memory decline in patients experiencing the
early symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
Healthspan’s Omega 3 (TG) with a high DHA
concentration contains the same fish oils as were used in the
Swedish study referenced in this article. See page 21 of the
Nutrition Directory.
1. Freund-Levi Y, et al. Arch Neurol, Oct
2006; 63:1402-1408
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