OT - Fish oil really does make you think faster

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8122-1408713,00.html

Fish oil really does make you think faster

Camillo Fracassini

YOUR mother was right: eating up your fish really is good for the brain.

ish scientists have discovered that fish oil helps to keep dementia at

bay and slows the brain’s ageing process.

People who eat oily fish or take fish oil supplements score 13% higher in IQ

tests and are less likely to show early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers say that their brains appear to be have aged up to two years

less than those of people who do not consume fish oil.

Although it has long been established that the omega-3 fatty acids found in

fish reduce the risk of heart disease and arthritis, their effect on the

brain has been less clear.

Scientists at Aberdeen and Edinburgh universities contacted more than 300

people who had taken part in a national IQ survey in 1947, when they were

aged 11, and tested them again in 2000-01 when they were aged 64.

Volunteers completed a questionnaire on their diet and the amount of omega-3

in their blood was tested.

The study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows

that the scores for fish oil users were 13% higher. In other tests to

identify signs of dementia, the fish oil users did 6% better.

Lawrence Whalley, a professor of mental health at Aberdeen University and

head of the research team, said there was evidence that fish oils slow the

ageing of the brain by reducing inflammation. This reduces damage to the

blood vessels that supply the brain.

“The big difference we found was not in memory but in mental speed,” he

said. “The brains of fish oil users seemed to be faster. There was a strong

relationship between mental test scores and the omega-3 content in the

blood.

“The results suggest to me that they have younger brains than the non-users.

The ageing of their brain is being slowed down by a year or two.

“Although their memory may not be different they think faster on their feet.

Virtually all the advantages we are seeing are in the efficiency of

connections between the different parts of the brain.”

Whalley said that doctors already knew that giving fish oil to people who

had just had a heart attack improved their chances of survival by about 40%.

Now it may also play a part in reducing the likelihood of developing

dementia, which affects 750,000 people in Britain. One person in 20 over the

age of 65 suffers from dementia and one in five over the age of 80 is

affected. The diet of many Britons — particularly among the middle classes —

has got worse despite the millions of pounds spent on healthy eating

campaigns, a study has revealed.

The research shows that up to a third of Britons — equivalent to 20m of the

population — have increased their consumption of fried food and a similar

proportion takes less exercise.

According to the study, which tracked more than 11,000 “baby-boomers” for

almost a decade, the middle classes are eating more chips and the working

classes are eating more fried food.

Many have spurned wholemeal bread in favour of processed white varieties,

while consumption of fruit and vegetables may have fallen despite

promotional campaigns.

Scientists say that the findings illustrate the failure of successive

governments to convey effective health messages to a population that is

increasingly beset by lifestyle diseases, despite campaigns that cost about

£130m a year.