A recently published study in Nutrients shows that people with high omega-3 DHA levels in their blood are 49% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in older adults and the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. Research found that specific genes increase the risk of developing the debilitating progressive illness that slowly destroys cognitive function and memory. For instance, APOE4 is the most potent risk factor gene for Alzheimer’s.
The Effectiveness of DHA
The research included 1490 65-year-old dementia-free participants. Researchers examined the association of red blood cell (RBC) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) with incident Alzheimer’s Disease while testing for interaction with APOE-e4 carriership. The risk for incident AD in the highest RBC DHA quintile (Q5, >6.1%) was 49% lower compared with the lowest quintile (Q1, <3.8%). An increase in RBC DHA from Q1 to Q5 was predicted to provide an estimated 4.7 additional years of life free of Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, researchers noted that an increased intake of DHA might lower the risk altogether.
A Cost-Effective Dietary Addition
Aleix Sala-Vila led the study, Ph.D. suggested that adding extra omega-3 DHA to your routine might slow the development of the disease. A cost-effective dietary addition could save billions in health care costs.
“Given that estimated health-care payments in 2021 for all patients with AD or other dementias amount to $355 billion in the US (not including caregiving by family members and other unpaid caregivers), any cost-effective strategy for delaying the onset of AD is of utmost public health interest. Delaying AD by five years leads to 2.7 additional years and 4.8 additional AD-free years for an individual who would have acquired AD and is worth over $500,000.”
Omega-3 is such a powerful supplement, especially for our brain. And as we get older, we want to help keep our bodies healthy.
Do you include omega-3 in your daily routine? Comment below.
Reference: “Red Blood Cell DHA Is Inversely Associated with Risk of Incident Alzheimer’s Disease and All-Cause Dementia: Framingham Offspring Study” by Aleix Sala-Vila, Claudia L. Satizabal, Nathan Tintle, Debora Melo van Lent, Ramachandran S. Vasan, Alexa S. Beiser, Sudha Seshadri and William S. Harris, 9 June 2022, Nutrients.
