Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disorder that is characterized by progressive memory loss, intellectual decline, and eventually global cognitive impairment.
The brain of an Alzheimer’s patient undergoes more severe changes than the brain of a healthy person.
Research has suggested that people with Alzheimer’s disease may have unusually low levels of essential fatty acids in their brains.
Essential fatty acids must obtain for human diet to maintain good health.
The polyunsaturated fats found in salmon and mackerel and the monounsaturated fats found in canola oil and soybean oil are high in essential fatty acids, called omega-3 fatty acids.
A diet rich in unsaturated fatty acids and unhydrogenated fat was found to protect against Alzheimer’s disease, in contrast to a diet rich in saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids.
Saturated animal fat in the diet increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Consumption of fish containing high levels of omega-3 fatty acid counteracts some of that risk.
The effect was still present when socioeconomic factors were taken into account, as these factors are linked to both the reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease and the fish consumption.
A study carried out in the United States found that Alzheimer’s disease was 60% less in people that consumed about 60 mg DHA per day or at least one fish meal per week than in people that ate very little fish.
A 2008 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that an increased risk of dementia was found to be associated with a higher ration of arachidonic acid to DHA and a higher ration of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids, especially among subjects who are depressed. Depression is frequently associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Fatty acid consumption can reduce risk of Alzheimer's
