Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Dementia
The Tufts University in Boston conducted a study which concluded that increasing the docosahexaenioc acid (DHA) omega 3 fatty acids in the blood has a positive effect on reducing the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
899 men and women around 76 years old took part in this research, intended to find any sort of relationship between dementia and the DHA levels in the blood.
All of them had been neuropsychological tested after giving their initial blood sample and they were dementia free.
The test lasted nine years and after that time, the test participants were spilt into groups according to the DHA levels in their blood.
The group consisting of those with the highest DHA concentration in the blood showed a 47% lower risk of developing dementia.
The risk of developing Alzheimer's disease also was reduced by 39% in the subjects with the largest amounts of omega 3 fatty acids in the blood.
The persons belonging to this group consumed an average of 0.
18g of DHA each day and an average of 2.
9 servings of fish per week.
The persons belonging to the other groups consumed lower amounts of DHA fatty acids and fish, between 1.
3 and 2.
3 servings per week.
The conclusion of the research is that there is an important relation between the DHA levels in the blood and the fish intake, proving once again that fatty fish is one of the richest natural resources for essential omega 3 fatty acids, especially DHA and EPA.
DHA is so efficient in treating and preventing a large series of mental conditions because it is contained by the membrane of ion channels in the brain.
These ion channels are responsible for the transmitting of electrical signals across the brain.
By keeping these channels in good shape, the electric signals can travel faster from different parts of the nervous systems to the other.
Medics and specialists at the Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge in Sweden conducted a series of tests of their own and concluded that the omega 3 fatty acids help slow down the mental decline of elderly people suffering from mild forms of Alzheimer's disease.
However, omega 3 fatty acids have no strong effect on people suffering from advanced forms of the disease.
Elderly people are advised to administer the omega fatty acids through supplements, because their bodies cannot transform very efficiently the fatty acids in foods in the forms which the body can use.
899 men and women around 76 years old took part in this research, intended to find any sort of relationship between dementia and the DHA levels in the blood.
All of them had been neuropsychological tested after giving their initial blood sample and they were dementia free.
The test lasted nine years and after that time, the test participants were spilt into groups according to the DHA levels in their blood.
The group consisting of those with the highest DHA concentration in the blood showed a 47% lower risk of developing dementia.
The risk of developing Alzheimer's disease also was reduced by 39% in the subjects with the largest amounts of omega 3 fatty acids in the blood.
The persons belonging to this group consumed an average of 0.
18g of DHA each day and an average of 2.
9 servings of fish per week.
The persons belonging to the other groups consumed lower amounts of DHA fatty acids and fish, between 1.
3 and 2.
3 servings per week.
The conclusion of the research is that there is an important relation between the DHA levels in the blood and the fish intake, proving once again that fatty fish is one of the richest natural resources for essential omega 3 fatty acids, especially DHA and EPA.
DHA is so efficient in treating and preventing a large series of mental conditions because it is contained by the membrane of ion channels in the brain.
These ion channels are responsible for the transmitting of electrical signals across the brain.
By keeping these channels in good shape, the electric signals can travel faster from different parts of the nervous systems to the other.
Medics and specialists at the Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge in Sweden conducted a series of tests of their own and concluded that the omega 3 fatty acids help slow down the mental decline of elderly people suffering from mild forms of Alzheimer's disease.
However, omega 3 fatty acids have no strong effect on people suffering from advanced forms of the disease.
Elderly people are advised to administer the omega fatty acids through supplements, because their bodies cannot transform very efficiently the fatty acids in foods in the forms which the body can use.
Source...