Heart disease, specifically known as coronary artery disease (CAD), is quite common. It happens when unwanted stuff called plaque gathers in our blood vessels.
This can slow down blood flow. Studies show that people with CAD are 45% more likely to experience brain function problems as they age.
Fish Oil to the Rescue
Fish oil has some good things called omega-3 fatty acids, namely DHA and EPA. A recent study says these can help older people with CAD. How? By improving their brain functions!
The researchers gave some adults with CAD a pill. This pill had a strong dose of DHA and EPA, just like what doctors prescribe. The study found that this pill improved the brain functions of these people.
How It Works
The best results were seen when there were high levels of both DHA and EPA in the blood. But DHA seemed to play a bigger role than EPA in helping brain function.
Dr. Francine Welty, one of the researchers, explained this. She said that EPA does add some benefit, but only when DHA levels are already high. EPA by itself doesn’t do much.
The Study and its Findings
The details of the study were first shared in March in a well-known nutrition journal. Next week, they will be talked about at an important heart health meeting. Dr. Abdulaziz Malik, a heart specialist from Boston, will present them.
291 adults with CAD took part in the study. They were around 63 years old, and most of them were men. At the start, they all had good brain function.
Half of these adults got a pill with 3.36 grams of DHA and EPA for 30 months. The other half didn’t. Everyone took brain function tests at the start, after one year, and at the end of the study.
These tests checked things like memory, language, and speed of thinking. At the end, they also checked the levels of DHA and EPA in the blood.
Surprising Results
The researchers wanted to see if the omega-3 pill could stop brain function from getting worse. But they found something even better. The pill didn’t just stop the decline, it improved brain function!
Fish Oil: A Simple Solution?
Dr. Welty suggests people should get a prescription for a pill that has both DHA and EPA to boost brain function. But she warns against buying pills that aren’t checked by the Food and Drug Administration.
Getting the same amount of DHA and EPA through food alone is hard, says Professor Penny Kris-Etherton. You would need to eat a lot of fatty fish every day. And most Americans don’t do that.
Fish: Nature’s Pharmacy
Fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel are high in omega-3s. The American Heart Association (AHA) says eating fish twice a week can help reduce heart disease and stroke risk.
In 2019, they said that fish oil pills are safe and good for lowering fats in the blood. But they warned not to take pills that aren’t checked by authorities.
What’s Next?
Exciting times are ahead, says Professor Kris-Etherton. She’s thrilled about the discovery that these omega-3s can help our brains as we get older.
She hopes to see more research on older adults without heart disease. The results of such studies could be very promising! “Stay tuned,” she says. “These are very interesting findings.”
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If you care about nutrition, please read studies about how the Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and this plant nutrient could help reduce high blood pressure.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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