Eating More Fish Reduces Alzheimer’s Risk

Media release – 4 December 2007

Eating More Fish Reduces Alzheimer’s Risk

EATING more fish reduces the risk of suffering Alzheimer’s disease.

That is the conclusion of a major research project reported in the current issue of the international journal, Neurology.

The study says a diet rich in fish, Omega-3 oils, fruits and vegetables may lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, whereas consuming Omega-6 rich oils could increase chances of developing memory problems.

The medical journal Neurology is published by the American Academy of Neurology, and a separate statement issued by the Academy said that, for the study, researchers examined the diets of 8,085 men and women over the age of 65 who did not have dementia at the beginning of the study.

Over four years of follow-up, 183 of the participants developed Alzheimer’s disease and 98 developed another type of dementia.

The study found people who regularly consumed Omega-3 rich oils -- found most abundantly in “long-chain” forms in seafood but also found in other forms (“short chain”) in flaxseed oil and walnut oil -- reduced their risk of dementia by 60% compared with people who did not regularly consume such oils.

People who ate fruits and vegetables daily also reduced their risk of dementia by 30% compared with those who did not regularly eat fruits and vegetables. The study also found people who ate fish at least once a week had a 35% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and 40% lower risk of dementia -- provided they did not carry a gene that increases the risk of Alzheimer’s, called apolipoprotein E4, or ApoE4.

“Given that most people do not carry the ApoE4 gene, these results could have considerable implications in terms of public health,” said study author Pascale Barberger-Gateau, PhD, of INSERM, the French National Institute for Health & Medical Research, in Bordeaux, France.

“However, more research is needed to identify the optimal quantity and combination of nutrients which could be protective before implementing nutritional recommendations.”

In addition, the study found people who did not carry the ApoE4 gene and consumed an unbalanced diet characterized by regular use of Omega-6 rich oils but not Omega-3 rich oils or fish were twice as likely to develop dementia compared with those who did not eat Omega-6 rich oils (which include sunflower or grape seed oil). The study did not find any association between consuming corn oil, peanut oil, lard, meat or wine and lowering risk of dementia.

“While we’ve identified dietary patterns associated with lowering a person’s risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s, more research is needed to better understand the mechanisms of these nutrients involved in these apparently protective foods,” Dr Barberger-Gateau said.

News welcomed here

Publication of the study has been welcomed in Australia.

Mr Roy Palmer, who has been co-ordinating the monitoring and distribution of information on health benefits of seafood on behalf of Seafood Services Australia for several years, said today it was an important breakthrough.

“As the authors themselves say in their report, it has been speculated that dietary fatty acids and antioxidants may contribute to decreased dementia risk but those data have been controversial. The aim of their study was to analyze the relationship between dietary patterns and risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

“What they have shown is that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease can be massively reduced -- by up to 60% -- by regularly consuming fish and other sources of Omega-3 oils, along with fruit and vegetables,” Mr Palmer said.

“This adds important new information to the growing catalogue of illnesses that can be relieved, cured or avoided by eating the right foods, especially seafood.”

He added that Omega-3 oils were generally considered to be anti-inflammatory but that an excess proportion of Omega-6 oils in the diet (mostly from seed-based oils) could cause inflammatory responses in the body.

“It is considered that the increase since the 1950s in consumption of Omega-6 oils compared with Omega-3 oils has tilted the average Western diet in an unhealthy way and increased the incidence of medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and even heart disease.” Mr Palmer said further information on the health benefits of seafood was available on the Seafood Services Australia website at http://www.seafoodservices.com.au/

Note:

For a copy of this latest report, see Neurology, 2007;69:1921-1930: “Dietary patterns and risk of dementia” by P. Barberger-Gateau, C. Raffaitin, L. Letenneur, C. Berr, C. Tzourio, J. F. Dartigues, and A. Alpérovitch, at http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/69/20/1921

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 20,000 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 Parkinson’s disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), dementia, West Nile virus, and ataxia. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit www.aan.com.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Mr Roy Palmer, Seafood for Life” Program, Seafood Services Australia: 0419 528 733 or palmerroy@hotmail.com

Mr Colin Bishop, Seafood Services Australia: 0419 774 936 or cbishop@seafoodservices.com.au

Issued: Fri Nov 30 15:08:57 EST

Reference-id: SSANEWS0204

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