In the Dec., 2007 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, a UCLA research team reported findings that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil might play an important role in preventing Alzheimer's disease.
The omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) increases the production of LR11, a protein that is found at reduced levels in Alzheimer's patients. LR11 is known to destroy the protein that forms the plaques, or protein buildups called beta amyloids, which are believed to be toxic to brain cells, and associated with Alzheimer's disease. Higher levels of LR11 prevent the manufacturing of the toxic proteins.
The UCLA researchers believe that the low levels of LR11 found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients may be a contributing factor to the disease.
As part of the study, the team tested the effects of DHA by adding it directly to laboratory-grown human and animal neurons. What they found was that even low doses of DHA increased the levels of LR11 in rat neurons. In a prepared statement, Greg Cole, associate director of UCLA's Alzheimer Disease Research Center, stated that "... dietary DHA increased LR11 in brains of rats or older mice that had been genetically altered to develop Alzheimer's disease."
While far from being in a position to recommend a dosage of DHA to prevent Alzheimer's, the team has recommended eating more fatty fish, or taking a supplement. Essential fatty acids, such as DHA, cannot be synthesized by the body, but must be obtained through diet. A cumulative mass of research has shown that DHA is the most abundant essential fatty acid in the brain, that it is critical to brain development, and other studies have also linked low levels of DHA to cognitive impairment.
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