Fish Oil May Help Prevent Alzheimer's

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Fish Oil May Help Prevent Alzheimer's

By HealthDay - Fri Dec 28, 8:46 PM PST

http://health./news/healthday/fishoilmayhelppreventalzheimers.html

FRIDAY, Dec. 28 (HealthDay News) -- The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil

might play an important role in preventing Alzheimer's disease, according to a

research team at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Publishing in the Dec. 26 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, the scientists

demonstrated that the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) increases

the production of LR11, a protein that is found at reduced levels in Alzheimer's

patients. LR11 is known to destroy the protein that forms the plaques associated

with the disease, the researchers explained.

The plaques are actually a buildup of a protein called beta amyloid, which is

thought to be toxic to brain cells. Higher levels of LR11 prevent the

manufacturing of the toxic proteins, which is why researchers believe the low

levels found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients may be a contributing factor

to the disease.

Alzheimer's is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease that causes memory loss,

dementia, personality change and ultimately death. The Alzheimer's Association

estimates that 5.1 million Americans are currently afflicted with the disease.

The association predicts that may increase to between 11 million and 16 million

people by 2050.

The researchers tested the effects of DHA by adding it directly to human and

animal neurons grown in the laboratory.

" We found that even low doses of DHA increased the levels of LR11 in rat

neurons, while dietary DHA increased LR11 in brains of rats or older mice that

had been genetically altered to develop Alzheimer's disease, " lead researcher

Greg Cole, associate director of UCLA's Alzheimer Disease Research Center, said

in a prepared statement.

Fatty acids such as DHA are considered essential fatty acids, because the body

cannot make them from other sources and must obtain them through diet. Years of

research have shown that DHA is the most abundant essential fatty acid in the

brain, Cole said, and that it is critical to fetal and infant brain development.

Studies have also linked low levels of DHA in the brain to cognitive impairment

and have shown that lower levels may increase oxidative stress in the brains of

Alzheimer's patients.

The research team acknowledged that their work does not identify a dosage of DHA

that people could take to prevent Alzheimer's, but they recommend eating more

fatty fish or taking a supplement. They did not recommend taking DHA to try to

slow the progression of Alzheimer's.