DHA & Your Brain!!

Alzheimer’s prevention is now getting lots of attention – gratefully! It seems like we are seeing powerful science revealing how lifestyle choices affect our brain’s destiny appearing in well-respected medical journals on an almost daily basis. A validated Alzheimer’s prevention program stands on several fundamental legs including regular exercise, keeping blood sugar under control, not becoming obese, and making sure you consume an adequate amount of DHA, an important omega-3 fatty acid. DHA, short for docosahexaenoic acid, is an essential fatty acid. This means that it is essential that we get DHA from the foods we eat or the supplements we take, as, much like vitamin C, our bodies are not capable of creating enough DHA for our physiological needs. Sources of DHA include various forms of seafood, especially fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, as well as oysters and clams. DHA supplements often derive their DHA from cod livers and there’s even a plant-based DHA supplement made from the DHA produced by marine algae. The relationship between DHA status and risk for developing dementia, or Alzheimer’s dementia specifically, was recently investigated with results published in the journal, Nutrients. Researchers followed close to 1500 non-demented individuals, aged 65 years or older, for an average of 7.2 years. At the beginning of the study, a blood analysis was performed measuring the DHA content of the participants’ red blood cells. This measurement was chosen as it most accurately and objectively reflects an individual’s DHA status which is a consequence of their long-term dietary intake of DHA. The researchers uncovered a powerful link between low levels of DHA and Alzheimer’s risk. When comparing those with the highest DHA levels to those with the lowest, the high DHA group had a remarkable 49% reduced risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease – a disease for which there is currently no meaningful FDA approved treatment. Further, the authors were able to predict that those with the highest DHA levels would experience an estimated 4.7 more years of life, free of Alzheimer’s disease. A solid recommendation is that adults should consider taking a minimum of 1 gram of DHA daily. Keep in mind that with your fish oil supplement, for example, it’s important to read the label to get a full understanding as to how much actual DHA is contained in a given dose. Finally, you may well be able to check your own red blood cell DHA level as this test is now available to doctors around the country.