Fish Oil Supplements May Not Help Stave Off Dementia After All

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in abundance in oily fish such as mackerel and sardines, is thought to improve cognitive function by supporting connections between brain cells. However, it has never been conclusively demonstrated that DHA taken as a dietary supplement actually reaches the brain or provides measurable benefits against dementia.

Against this backdrop, a research team at the USC School of Medicine has published the results of a large, two-year clinical trial involving older adults at elevated risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The study found that while high-dose DHA supplements do indeed reach the brain, they did not improve memory or cognitive function nor did they slow brain atrophy.

"Everyone hopes for a silver bullet to prevent Alzheimer's disease, but we can't say that fish oil supplements protect brain health," said Hussein Naji Yassine, director of the Personalized Brain Health Center at USC. "While omega-3s play an important role in forming brain cell connections needed for cognition, our results do not support fish oil supplements as a preventive measure against Alzheimer's."

Please select this link to read the complete article from WIRED.