{"id":11628,"date":"2022-10-18T12:01:51","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T16:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=11628"},"modified":"2022-10-09T22:01:07","modified_gmt":"2022-10-10T02:01:07","slug":"holy-mackerel-fish-really-is-brain-food-even-if-you-only-eat-a-small-amount","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=11628","title":{"rendered":"Holy Mackerel! Fish Really Is Brain Food \u2013 Even if You Only Eat a Small Amount"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BrainCould eating salmon, cod, tuna, herring, or sardines keep your brain healthy and your thinking agile in middle age? This study says emphatically, YES.<\/p>\n

Eating cold-water fish and other sources of omega-3 fatty acids may preserve brain health and enhance cognition in middle age, according to new evidence from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.<\/p>\n

In fact, healthy volunteers whose red blood cells contained higher concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids were found to have better brain structure and cognitive function than others who were aged 40-60.<\/p>\n

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Studies have looked at this association in older senior citizen populations, but this study seems to show that, even at younger ages, if you have a diet that includes some omega-3 fatty acids, you are already protecting your brain for most of the indicators of brain aging that we see at middle age, says Claudia Satizabal, PhD, assistant professor with the Institute for Alzheimer\u2019s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health. Satizabal is the lead author of the study.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Volunteers\u2019 average age was 46. The team looked at the relation of red blood cell omega-3 fatty acid concentrations with MRI and cognitive markers of brain aging. Researchers also studied the effect of omega-3 red blood cell concentrations in volunteers who carried APOE4, a genetic variation linked to higher risk of Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

The study of 2,183 dementia- and stroke-free participants found that higher omega-3 index was associated with larger hippocampal volumes. The hippocampus, a structure in the brain, plays a major role in learning and memory.<\/p>\n

Consuming more\u00a0omega-3s\u00a0was also associated with better abstract reasoning, or the ability to understand complex concepts using logical thinking.<\/p>\n

APOE4 carriers with a higher omega-3 index had less small-vessel disease. The APOE4 gene is associated with cardiovascular disease and vascular dementia.<\/p>\n

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Researchers, who published their research in the Oct. 5 journal Neurology<\/a>, used a technique called gas chromatography to measure docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrations from red blood cells. The omega-3 index was calculated as DHA plus EPA.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cOmega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA are key micronutrients that enhance and protect the brain,\u201d said\u00a0study coauthor Debora Melo van Lent, PhD<\/a>, postdoctoral research fellow at the Biggs Institute. \u201cOur study is one of the first to observe this effect in a younger population. More studies in this age group are needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team divided participants into those who had very little omega-3 red blood cell concentration and those who had at least a little and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw the worst outcomes in the people who had the lowest consumption of omega-3s,\u201d Satizabal said. \u201cSo, that is something interesting. Although the more omega-3, the more benefits for the brain, you just need to eat some to see benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Researchers don\u2019t know how DHA and EPA protect the brain. One theory is that, because those fatty acids are needed in the membrane of neurons, when they are replaced with other types of fatty acids, that\u2019s when neurons (nerve cells) become unstable. Another explanation may have to deal with the anti-inflammatory properties of DHA and EPA.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s complex. We don\u2019t understand everything yet, but we show that, somehow, if you increase your consumption of omega-3s even by a little bit, you are protecting your brain,\u201d Satizabal said.<\/p>\n

The post Holy Mackerel! Fish Really Is Brain Food \u2013 Even if You Only Eat a Small Amount appeared first on Good News Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Holy Mackerel! Fish really is brain food, even if you only eat a small amount!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":11629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[494,560,285,558],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-11628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-brain-health","category-mediterranean-diet","category-nutrition","tag-fish"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Mackerel-flounder-fish-food-pescaterian-shrimp-crawfish-pubdomain-Alessandro-Rossi-1024x598-y94u8L.jpeg?fit=1024%2C598&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qv5g-31y","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2718,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2718","url_meta":{"origin":11628,"position":0},"title":"Fish on the Brain","author":"Will Clower","date":"September 2, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"A while back, health authorities told us not to eat salmon ... too many oils, you know. Rather than \"risk it\", you should take Omega3 fatty acid pills. Remember when we weren't supposed to eat fatty nuts, like walnuts?Although terrific in someone's little theory about how the body should work\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Brain\"","block_context":{"text":"Brain","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?tag=brain"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2357,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2357","url_meta":{"origin":11628,"position":1},"title":"For High HDL, Get The Big O(mega-3 fatty acids)","author":"Will Clower","date":"June 17, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"How to raise your \"good cholesterol\"? Eat fatty fish. Fatty? Isn't that bad? Nope. Not any more. Of course, it used to be bad, but that was a sad fad. So don't be a cad, you can even ask your dad, add fatty fish to your diet. What about supplements?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bookmark and Share","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s7.addthis.com\/static\/btn\/v2\/lg-share-en.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7770,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=7770","url_meta":{"origin":11628,"position":2},"title":"Train Your Brain in August: With Nutrition","author":"Will Clower","date":"August 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"All month we will explore the brain. Specifically, we'll walk you through the methods for training your brain to be stronger, smarter, and faster! Your blood vessels (arteries and capillaries) carry oxygen and nutrients into your brain and then deliver them to the neurons to keep them healthy. If your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"Brain Food chalk board sign with food in background","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Brain-Food.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Brain-Food.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Brain-Food.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Brain-Food.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Brain-Food.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2232,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2232","url_meta":{"origin":11628,"position":3},"title":"Radio Show Notes: Building Better Brains","author":"Will Clower","date":"December 4, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are my show notes for the program RIGHT NOW (12\/04\/10, noon EST), we're giving you 9 ways to boost your brain power -- or at least make your slide into forgetfulness take longer!!AUDIO location: http:\/\/www.wmnyradio.com\/business_of_health.aspx\u00a0VIDEO location: http:\/\/www.ustream.tv\/channel\/the-will-clower-showHealthy food and memoryHealthy eating lowers your risk of diabetes, hypertension, and heart\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "RadioWill"","block_context":{"text":"RadioWill","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=323"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bookmark and Share","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s7.addthis.com\/static\/btn\/v2\/lg-share-en.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1871,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=1871","url_meta":{"origin":11628,"position":4},"title":"The Internal SPF. 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Go Fish!","author":"Will Clower","date":"August 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"In a massive Meta-analysis -- a study of studies -- involving over 1 Million people, researchers concluded. \"Current meta-analysis indicates that both fish and ... PUFA consumption are inversely associated with risk of all-cause mortality.\" In other words, when fish consumption goes up, risk of death goes down. Wow. What\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11628"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11628\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11632,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11628\/revisions\/11632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}