According to a new study, fish oil and vitamins can help to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. US experts have also revealed, however, that the unhealthy trans fats found in margarine and some junk food can actually speed up the shrinkage of the brain that is linked to the disease.
The author of the study is also Dr Gene Bowman, from the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and he has said it is very exciting news to discover that by adjusting their diets, people can potentially keep their brains sharp and stop them from shrinking
104 people with an average age of 87 took part in the study, and the levels of various nutrients in their blood were tested, as well as their thinking and memory skills. The brain volume, or grey matter, was also measured in 42 people using MRI scans, and the study found that those whose diets were high in Omega 3 and vitamins B,C,D and E were less likely to have brain shrinkage; a reduction in the volume of grey matter.
These subjects also had much higher mental performance scores that those who had diets that were low in the aforementioned nutrients. Vitamin D and Omega 3 Fatty acids are primarily found in fish, while the vitamins B,C, E can be obtained from fruit, vegetables and meat. Overall, 7% of the study participants showed a deficiency in Vitamin B12, whilst 25% had a vitamin D deficiency, the journal ‘Neurology’ revealed.
Dr Bowman’s team also believe that the levels of nutrients found in the blood accounted for around 37% of the variations between brain volumes, and 17% of the thinking and memory scores. Other factors, including blood pressure, age and number of years they sent being educated accounted for 36% of the variations in the test scores.
