Your top science stories from 2012
Omega-3 protects against brain aging
A high intake of the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) could help protect the aging brain, according to this research.
The study suggests that a diet lacking in omega-3 fatty acids could cause the brain to age faster and lose some of its memory and thinking abilities.
Meanwhile middle-aged and elderly adults who regularly consume foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids could slow the mental decline that leads to dementia, said the US-based researchers.
"People with lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were equivalent to about two years of structural brain aging," explained study author Dr Zaldy Tan of UCLA.
In particular, Tan and his colleagues concluded that low DHA levels in red blood cells “are associated with smaller brain volumes and a ‘vascular’ pattern of cognitive impairment even in persons free of clinical dementia.”
