Tuesday July 22, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study suggests that eating oily fish or taking fish oil supplements may reduce cognitive decline and brain atrophy in older adults and may prevent or delay the onset of the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

The study shows that fish oil supplementation during the study follow-up was associated with significantly reduced mean cognitive subscale of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale and higher Mini-Mental State Examination scores in the healthy individuals.

And fish oil supplementation was also correlated with less atrophy in one or more brain regions in the study participants.

The study also reveals the potential benefits were only found in those APOE ε4-negative participants.

The retrospective cohort study was intended to examine the association between fish oil supplementation during the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and indicators of cognitive decline.

The study involved 229 cognitively normal individuals, 397 with mild cognitive impairment, and 193 patients with Alzheimer's disease) who were assessed with neuropsychological tests and magnetic resonance imaging every 6 months. (David Liu)

Reference

Daiello LA, Gongvatana A, Dunsiger S, Cohen RA, Ott BR; Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.  Association of fish oil supplement use with preservation of brain volume and cognitive function.  Alzheimers Dement. 2014 Jun 18.