Nutrition in Brain Development and Aging: Role of Essential Fatty Acids
April 12, 2011 by Dr. Marc Darrow, M.D.
Filed under Cognitive Function, Diet and Lifestyle
Researchers writing in the the medical journal Nutrition Reviews say that essential fatty acids (EFAs) are increasingly seen to be of value in limiting the cognitive decline during aging.
Uauy R, Dangour AD. Nutrition in brain development and aging: role of essential fatty acids. Nutr Rev. 2006 May;64(5 Pt 2):S24-33; discussion S72-91.
From the abstract: The essential fatty acids (EFAs), particularly the n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs), are important for brain development during both the fetal and postnatal period.
They are also increasingly seen to be of value in limiting the cognitive decline during aging.
EFA deficiency was first shown over 75 years ago, but the more subtle effects of the n-3 fatty acids in terms of skin changes, a poor response to linoleic acid supplementation, abnormal visual function, and peripheral neuropathy were only discovered later. Both n-3 and n-6 LCPs play important roles in neuronal growth, development of synaptic processing of neural cell interaction, and expression of genes regulating cell differentiation and growth.
Aging is also associated with decreased brain levels of DHA: fish consumption is associated with decreased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and the reported daily use of fish-oil supplements has been linked to improved cognitive function scores, but confirmation of these effects is needed.
MORE ON THIS SUBJECT
Eating Fish Slows Aging of the Brain
Study Published in the October 10, 2005 issue of the Archives of Neurology.
In brief, researchers looked at people 65 years of age and over to see if intakes of fish and omega-3 fatty acids protected against “age-related cognitive decline.”
What did they find? Quoted from the article in the Archives of Neurology:
“Dietary intake of fish was inversely associated with cognitive decline over 6 years in this older, biracial community study.
The rate of decline was reduced by 10% to 13% per year among persons who consumed 1 or more fish meals per week compared with those with less than weekly consumption.
The rate reduction is the equivalent of being 3 to 4 years younger in age.
There were no consistent associations with the omega-3 fatty acids, although the effect estimates were in the direction of slower decline.”
