Fish oil is no brain food

In one of the largest and longest studies of its kind, researchers examined whether supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids helped to slow cognitive decline in older patients. The study has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“Contrary to popular belief, we did not see any benefit of omega-3 supplements for stopping cognitive decline”, said Emily Chew, deputy director of the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications and deputy clinical director at the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of NIH.

Researchers followed about 4,000 patients from 2006 to 2012 as part of the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2.

” Similarly, this clinical trial suggests there is no benefit to taking omega-3 in later life when it comes to memory and thinking skills, although this study didn’t go on to look at a dementia diagnosis”. They all seem to point out that the claims that have been made for such supplements, like that they improve heart health and cognitive function, are exaggerations, at best. The main reason is thought to be that there differences between the molecular structure of fish oil found in actual fish and that of the oils that are being concentrated in supplements.

Omega-3 supplements are also available over the counter and often are labeled as supporting brain health, the agency added.

The researchers came to the conclusion that the people in the group that took the omega-3 supplements demonstrated “no statistically significant effect on cognitive function”.

There are other important things to consider about Chew’s study, however, beginning with the fact that all of the participants were at high risk of developing macular degeneration.

Their study was also limited to older participants, with an average age of 73.

The cognition scores of all participants decreased by roughly the same amount over the five year period, irrespective of whether or not they had been taking omega-3 supplements.

Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common cause of dementia and affects as many as 5.1 million Americans age 65 and older in the U.S., may triple in the next 40 years. Some studies in mice have pointed to potential benefits of the supplement, including the reduction of abnormal protein deposits in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s. There is no set reason why the pills show no effect on cognitive decline, but there are plenty of theories.

“It may be, for example, that the timing of nutrients, or consuming them in a certain dietary pattern, has an impact”, said Dr. Lenore Launer, a researcher at the National Institute on Aging.