To fight against cognitive decline, it would not be useful to consume food supplements rich in omega3. On the other hand, people who regularly eat salmon, tuna or halibut have been shown to be in better eye, heart and brain health.
Researchers from the National Institute of Ophthalmology carried out a large-scale clinical study with 4,000 elderly people over five years. “It is one of the largest and longest of its kind,” according to the US National Institute of Health (NIH), which funded it. This study looked at people with a common form of vision loss called age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The patients had an average age of 72 years and 58% were women.
They were divided into two groups, and received either a placebo or capsules containing Omega 3 fatty acids, more specifically docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Patients took memory and cognitive function tests at the start of the study, then two and four years later.
The results of the study showed that fish oil is a source of omega 3 and people who regularly consumed salmon, tuna or halibut showed better eye, heart and brain health. than those who do not eat it. On the other hand, it is not effective in combating cognitive decline.
“Contrary to popular belief, we did not find that omega-3 supplements provide any benefit in arresting cognitive decline,” says study author Emily Chew, associate director of clinical services at the National Institute of Ophthalmology.
“The cognitive scores of each of the subgroups declined in a comparable way over time, indicating that no combination of nutritional supplements made a difference”, underlines the study.
In France, according to the latest figures from the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), 860,000 people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and the number of patients should reach two million in 2020. Alzheimer’s and related diseases represent the leading cause of age-related loss of intellectual functions.
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