Fish oils do help you think quicker
Writing for the Times (21/12/04), Camillo Fracassini discusses a survey by scientists at Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities in Scotland. It suggests that your grandmother's advice that fish was good for the brain was right!
Lawrence J Whalley from Aberdeen University led a group who used data from an observational study in 1947 that tested the mental ability of subjects born in 1936. They were followed up in 2000/2001 at which time cognition, diet, food supplement use (none, fish oil, vitamins or other) and risk factors for vascular disease were assessed. The data collected also included occupation, details as to whether the subject smoked and their level of alcohol consumption, the presence of diabetes or heart disease and the use of statins and psychotropics. 350 people out of the original 2617 children who took part in the 1947 survey were able to complete all the assessments in the present study. There were others who were able to complete some but not all of the tests. At the age of 64 years, cognitive function was higher in food supplement users than non users before adjustment of the data for childhood IQ. After adjustment for childhood IQ, mental speeds were higher in food supplement users. Fish-oil supplement users consumed more vitamin C and vegetable and cereal fibre than did non-supplement-users. In a nested case-control study, erythrocyte membrane omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content (n-3) was higher in fish-oil supplement users than in nonusers, but cognitive function did not differ significantly between groups. Total erythrocyte n-3 fatty acids and the ratio of docosahexaenoic acid to arachidonic acid was associated with better cognitive function in later life before and after adjustment for childhood IQ. In their summary, the authors say that food supplement use contributes to the nutrient intake of a large and increasing proportion of the elderly population. As a result many older people have exceptionally high nutrient intakes. On this basis vigilance is needed to ensure that a proper balance is maintained between possible benefits and the potential harm from high levels of consumption of certain nutrients. They also note that among the sample of non-users of supplements, there were many who were in good health with no evidence of cognitive impairment who derived sufficient n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from their usual diet. (From American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2004, 80 (6): 1650-1657). Click here to purchase Fish Oils
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