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High levels of omega-3 fatty acids seem to protect against brain atrophy and may be equivalent to preserving one to two years of brain health, say researchers.

The levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the red blood cells of 1,111 postmenopausal women were measured and brain volumes were assessed using magnetic resonance imagining. Levels of omega-3 fatty acids correlated with larger overall brain volume – a marker of cognitive ageing.

The hippocampus – critical for normal memory – often shrinks before Alzheimer symptoms emerge. However, hippocampal volume was 159mm³ larger in the fourth quartile than the first quartile of omega-3 levels. “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 author James Pottala, from the University of South Dakota. (Neurology 2014; 82:435-442)