Fish oil supplements may offer a surprising benefit to seniors

A clinical trial conducted at Oregon Health & Science University has revealed a surprising benefit that fish oil supplements may offer to seniors.

Researchers have found that seniors who have a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's disease may benefit from fish oil supplements. It has previously been claimed that they can improve brain function in people with memory problems.

Fish oil may be beneficial for people who carry the APOE4 gene, which indicates a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease, but its effects do not extend to all seniors, explained Lynn Shinto, a professor of neurology at Oregon Health & Science University College of Medicine.

The study included 102 participants aged 75 or older who had relatively low levels of omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish oil) in their blood.

The participants underwent MRI scans of their brains, first when they enrolled and again at the end of the 3-year study, to assess the amount of change in white matter lesions in the brain. These lesions can block the delivery of nutrients through blood vessels to the brain, increasing the risk of dementia later in life.

In the study, half of the participants took omega-3 fish oil supplements daily, while the other half took a soybean-based placebo. Both MRI scans, which measured the degree of white matter lesions at the beginning and end of the study period, found a slight reduction in the progression of these lesions, but not enough to be statistically significant between the two groups.

The researchers found a significant reduction in brain cell function among APOE4 carriers after one year of fish oil treatment, compared with the soybean oil group.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Source: Medical Express