Omega-3 Fatty Acids Linked with Higher Brain Volume in Old Age

People with high intake of omega 3 fatty acids might have larger brain volumes in old age, according to the latest research.

Omgea-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fatty acids and are essential for certain functions in the body. Vegetable oils, particularly canola and soybean oils, fatty fish -salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, and tuna- are all good sources of omega 3 fatty acids, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

The new study suggests that by preserving brain volume of old people, omega-3 might be protecting them against memory-related conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

The study was based on data from 1,111 women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study. Researchers first tested the levels of omega-3 fatty acids EPA+DHA (docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid) in red blood cells. Eight years later, the women were put under an MRI scanner.

Researchers found that women with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids at the start of the study had larger brain volume eight years later.

Also, those with higher omega-3 levels had a 2.7 percent larger volume in the hippocampus region of the brain. Hippocampus is associated with long-term memory and stress.

"These higher levels of fatty acids can be achieved through diet and the use of supplements, and the results suggest that the effect on brain volume is the equivalent of delaying the normal loss of brain cells that comes with aging by one to two years," said study author James V. Pottala, PhD, of the University of South Dakota in Sioux Falls and Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc., in Richmond, Va, according to a news release.

The study is published in the journal Neurology.

About 30 percent of people living in the U.S have used these supplements for various health reasons. A related study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association said that these pills might not be as effective as considered.