Fight Alzheimer's with Fatty Fish
March 29, 2005

Eating a diet high in fatty fish like sardines and salmon might help ward off Alzheimer's disease, according to research published in the March 23 online issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. In the study, researchers from the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UCLA and researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs studied older mice that had been genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's disease. They fed one group food that was fortified with docosahexenoic acid (DHA), the omega-3 fatty acid found in several types of cold water fish, and the other group a diet low in DHA. After three to five months, the brains of mice who were fed the DHA-rich diet had 70 percent less build-up of amyloid, a waxy deposit of protein and polysaccharides in the brain associated with Alzheimer's. More studies need to be done to determine if omega-3 fatty acids can prevent a similar plaque build-up in human brains, but studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids have
protective effects on human hearts.

How much fatty fish should you eat? The American Heart Association recommends adults have a minimum of two servings of fish a week, especially those with Omega-3 fatty acids like mackerel, sardines, albacore tuna, salmon, lake trout and herring.

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