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Even our grand mother told us 

that.. fish was "brainfood"..and 

now scientists have yet more 

evidence to back the claim




Researchers with the Department 

of Veterans Affairs and the 

University of California, Los 

Angeles, found that a diet high 

in docosahexenoic acid, or DHA-

one of the omega-3 fatty acids in 

cold-water fish dramatically 

slowed the progression of 

Alzheimer's disease in mice.

Specifically, DHA cut the 

harmful brain plaques that mark 

the disease.








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Senior author Greg M. Cole, PhD, 

a neuroscientist at the Greater 

Los Angeles VA Healthcare System

and UCLA, said that unlike many 

studies with mice, this one

points to the benefits of a 

therapy that is easily available 

and already touted for other 

medical conditions.DHA-either 

from food sources such as fish or 

certain nutsor in fish-oil

or algae-based supplements-

is recommended by many 

cardiologists for heart health

based on scores of studies.


"You can buy this therapy at your 

supermarket or drug store," 

said Cole.


DHA has a tremendous safety     

profile-essentially no side 

effects-and clinical trial evidence 

supports giving DHA supplements 

to people at  risk for 

cardiovascular disease.









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The new study involved older mice 

genetically altered to develop 

Alzheimer's disease. 


The researchers fed one group of 

the mice DHA-fortified chow. 

The other mice ate a normal or 

DHA-depleted diet. 

After three to five months-the 

equivalent of several years in 

human biology-the high-DHA 

group 


had 70-percent less buildup 

of amyloid protein in the brain. 


This sticky protein makes up 

the plaques, or patches, that are a 

hallmark of Alzheimer's.A similar 

study by Cole's group published 

inNeuron last fall showed 

that DHA protected against 

damage to the "synaptic" areas 

where brain cells communicate and 

enabled mice to perform better 

on memory tests.

The studies, say the scientists, 

suggest that even people who are 

genetically predisposed to the 

disease may be able to delay itby 

boosting their DHA intake.







Omega-3 fatty acids, typically 

deficient in the American diet, 

are essential for human health.






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DHA in particular is vital 

to proper brain function,as well 

as eye health and other body 

processes. 


In recent years epidemiologists 

have tied fish-rich diets to 

a lower incidence 

of Alzheimer's disease 

andhomed in on DHA as 

the preventive factor.


Omega-3 fatty acid supplements 

are now being tested in clinical 

trials with early-stage 

Alzheimer's patients in the United 

States, Canada and Sweden 

to see if the therapy really slows

the disease.










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Food sources of omega-3 fatty 

acids include fish such 

as salmonhalibutmackerel 

and sardinesas well 

as almondswalnuts and DHA-

enriched eggs. Concerns about 

mercury in fish have helped 

popularize purified DHA 

supplements based on fish oil or 

algae.Cole's team last year 

identified another nutrient 

that appears to combat 

Alzheimer's plaques in 

mice: 


curcumin, the yellow pigment 

in turmericone of the spices 

that make up curry powder. 



Researchers became 

interested in curcumin's 

potential to prevent or treat 

Alzheimer's disease after 

noting the low prevalence of 

dementia among the elderly in 

India, where curry is a staple.






Cole is the associate director for research at VA's Los Angeles-based Geriatric Research, 
Education and Clinical Center, and a professor of medicine and neurology at UCLA. 
Lead author for the new study was Giselle P. Lim, PhD, a UCLA postgraduate 
researcher in Cole's group. Working with them were colleagues from VA, 
UCLA and the National Institutes of Health. The study was supported 
by the National Institute on Aging, VA, the Alzheimer's Association, 
and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.





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