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Eating
fish may prevent Memory Loss and Stroke in
Old Age
Newswise
— Eating tuna and other types of fish may
help lower the risk of cognitive decline and
stroke in healthy older adults, according to
a study published in the August 5, 2008,
issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of
the American Academy of Neurology.
For the study, 3,660 people
age 65 and older underwent brain scans to
detect silent brain infarcts, or small
lesions in the brain that can cause loss of
thinking skills, stroke or dementia. Scans
were performed again five years later on
2,313 of the participants.
The people involved in the
study were also given questionnaires about
fish in their diets.
The study found that people
who ate broiled or baked tuna and other fish
high in omega-3 fatty acids (called DHA and
EPA) three times or more per week had a
nearly 26 percent lower risk of having the
silent brain lesions that can cause dementia
and stroke compared to people who did not
eat fish regularly.
Eating just one serving of
this type of fish per week led to a 13
percent lower risk. The study also found
people who regularly ate these types of fish
had fewer changes in the white matter in
their brains.
“While eating tuna and other
types of fish seems to help protect against
memory loss and stroke, these results were
not found in people who regularly ate fried
fish,” said Jyrki Virtanen, PhD, RD, with
the University of Kuopio in Finland.
“More research is needed as
to why these types of fish may have
protective effects, but the omega-3 fatty
acids EPA and DHA would seem to have a major
role.”
Types of fish that contain
high levels of DHA and EPA nutrients include
salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, and
anchovies.
“Previous findings have shown
that fish and fish oil can help prevent
stroke, but this is one of the only studies
that looks at fish’s effect on silent brain
infarcts in healthy, older people,” said
Virtanen.
Research shows that silent
brain infarcts, which are only detected by
brain scans, are found in about 20 percent
of otherwise healthy elderly people.
The study was supported by
the National Heart, Lung and Blood
Institute, the National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the
Finnish Cultural Foundation, Helsingin
Sanomat Centennial Foundation, the Finnish
Foundation for Cardiovascular Research, the
Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation and the University
of Kuopio.
The American Academy of
Neurology, an association of more than
21,000 neurologists and neuroscience
professionals, is dedicated to improving
patient care through education and research.
A neurologist is a doctor
with specialized training in diagnosing,
treating and managing disorders of the brain
and nervous system such as stroke,
Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, Parkinson’s
disease, and multiple sclerosis.
For more information about
the American Academy of Neurology, visit
http://www.aan.com.
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