A new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine on August 4 shows that eating fish once a week can boost mental alertness, no matter how high the omega-3 content of the fish actually is. Baked or broiled, fish consumption can be a good way to keep your mind healthy and active, according to the study.
Previously it was thought that omega-3 was the nutrient in fish that contributed the most to mental well-being, but this study found no correlation between higher omega-3 content and better brain power. The only thing it found that mattered was eating fish. This study, performed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, shows that it may not be isolated nutrients that contribute to mental well-being, but the fish itself.
Researchers have been looking for ways the prevent Alzheimer's disease and dementia from spreading. Theyestimate that over 80 million people will have dementia by 2040, as per James T. Becker, Ph.D., and a contributor to the new research study. Alzheimer's can have a debilitating effect on families as they struggle to provide healthcare for their loved ones. Scientists are looking for possible lifestyle changes that could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Some things they are looking into as possible contributors to Alzheimer's include inactivity, smoking, and being overweight or obese. This study looked at the possible effects of omega-3 fatty acids, which are concentrated in fish, seeds and nuts. Omega-3 has been previously associated with good mental health.
"Our study shows that people who ate a diet that included baked or broiled, but not fried, fish have larger brain volumes in regions associated with memory and cognition," said Dr. Becker. "We did not find a relationship between omega-3 levels and these brain changes, which surprised us a little. It led us to conclude that we were tapping into a more general set of lifestyle factors that were affecting brain health of which diet is just one part."
The researchers studied 260 people. They analyzed dietary intake, MRI scans, and did cognitive testing.
"The subset of CHS participants answered questionnaires about their eating habits, such as how much fish did they eat and how was it prepared," said Dr. Cyrus Raji, lead researcher on this project. "Baked or broiled fish contains higher levels of omega-3 than fried fish because the fatty acids are destroyed in the high heat of frying, so we took that into consideration when we examined their brain scans."
The study found that eating baked or broiled fish at least once a week gave people a 4.3 percent increase in brain volume in areas associated with memory, and a 14 percent increase of brain volume in areas associated with cognition. The study did not find any correlation between brain power and levels of omega-3 in the blood.
"This suggests that lifestyle factors, in this case eating fish, rather than biological factors contribute to structural changes in the brain," said Dr. Becker. "A confluence of lifestyle factors likely are responsible for better brain health, and this reserve might prevent or delay cognitive problems that can develop later in life."
