Week of Dec. 30 2007 - Jan. 5 2008

In the fight against Alzheimer's, one of 2007's big stories was omega-3. Multiple studies showed evidence of omega-3's impact in preventing and slowing down Alzheimer's.

A number of studies this year linked marine omega-3s and better cognitive abilities in aging. Eating fish regularly or having higher amounts of omega-3s in the blood are characteristic of older people who have escaped dementia or Alzheimer's, according to research from France and the Netherlands. In Norway, study participants in their 70s who consumed fish at least once a week had superior mental abilities compared with those who avoided eating fish. To cap off the year, researchers in UCLA just announced a new discovery regarding DHA, which is a fatty-acid abundant in fish oil's omega-3. The UCLA researchers proved DHA increases the production of the protein LR11, which destroys the protein that forms beta-amyloid, the main suspect behind Alzheimer's Disease.

The following video is the one that best sums up 2007's story of DHA.

More Information:

Big Clinical Trial: Can Omega-3 Slow Progression of Alzheimer's?

Certain Fatty Acid May Cut Dementia Risk

Sources:

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Docosahexaenoic Acid Increases SorLA/LR11, a Sorting Protein with Reduced Expression in Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease (AD): Relevance to AD Prevention, The Journal of Neuroscience, December 26, 2007

PUFA December 2007 Newsletter - News for Health Professionals About Polyunsaturated Fats and Omega-3 Oils

CBS (cbs4.com, Miama - Ft. Lauderdale)

Byline:

By Peter Berger, Editor

Reviewed by Dr. B. Ancselovicz, Geriatrician

Copyright:

© 2007 Alzheimer's Weekly LLC. All Rights Reserved.