HEALTHY LIVING


Fish Oil May Boost Brain Function


Study shows improvements when higher levels of omega-3 are present. ::


T


wo omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may help


improve brain function in older adults who have a type of heart disease known to put people at risk for cognitive decline. A recent study


found that DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), given in a combined supplement at prescription levels, improved cognitive function in older adults with coronary artery disease, or CAD. It is a common type of heart disease that occurs when plaque builds up in the arteries and hinders proper blood flow. Studies have shown people with CAD have a 45% increased risk for cognitive decline. The largest


improvements in brain function were seen when higher levels of both types of omega-3 fatty acids were present in the bloodstream. When analyzed individually, DHA levels were a better predictor for cognitive improvement than EPA, suggesting the presence of one type of omega-3 fatty acid was more important


96 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | MAY 2025


than the other, the authors concluded. “The study showed EPA


adds additional benefit when DHA levels are already high,” said study researcher Dr. Francine Welty, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “But EPA levels alone


had no predictive ability for cognitive improvement.” The findings, which constitute a further analysis of data published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, appeared in a research letter in the American Heart Association journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. The study included 291


adults with stable CAD. They averaged 63 years old, and 83% were men. None showed problems with


cognition at the beginning of the study. Half were given 3.36


grams of EPA and DHA combined, and half were not. All participants received cognitive function tests at baseline, one year after treatment began and at the end of 30 months. The tests measured verbal fluency, language, and


memory; visual motor coordination; and processing speed. Blood tests at the end of the study measured DHA and EPA levels. The team hoped to show


that long-term, high-dose omega-3 fatty acids could prevent cognitive decline in people with CAD but were surprised to find the supplements did much more than that, Welty said. In the analysis, the team


looked at changes in the levels of EPA and DHA in the blood of participants who took the supplements, to see if higher levels of each of the fatty acids predicted the cognitive improvements. While higher DHA aligned with better performance on cognitive tests, higher EPA levels did not seem to make a difference — except in people who had high levels


Omega-3 fatty acids are highest in fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, lake trout, and albacore tuna.


of DHA to begin with, Welty said. The same level of


omega-3 fatty acids used in the study could not be obtained just through diet, said Penny Kris-Etherton, an Evan Pugh University professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State College of Health and Human Development in University Park. “Getting 3.36 grams per


day is hard to do just eating fish,” said Kris-Etherton, who was not involved in the study. “You’d have to eat a lot of fatty fish every single day. One serving of fatty fish, which is 3.5 ounces of salmon, for example, has about 2.2 to 2.3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids. To get 3.36 grams per day means that you’d have to eat about 1 1/2 servings of fatty fish every day. The recommendation of two fish meals per week, including fatty fish and lean seafood like shrimp, would only get you about 0.25 gram per day, and most Americans don’t even eat that much.” Omega-3 fatty acids are highest in fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, lake trout, and albacore tuna. The AHA recommends


eating two servings of fish per week to help reduce heart disease and stroke risk. “What I’m excited


about,” she said, “is we’re finding interventions that benefit cognitive function as we age.”


SUPPLEMENT/CRAIGRJD©ISTOCK / BRAIN/DRAFTER123©ISTOCK


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