The Fat That Protects Against Dementia and Cognitive Decline

There are many documented benefits to consuming/supplementing with Omega 3 fatty acids and I’ve discussed several of them before. Some recent studies indicate that a particular type of Omega 3, DHA, is effective in protecting against the development of dementia and cognitive decline with aging.

The exact mechanisms of how DHA does this are somewhat technical for the scope of this article, but it appears to have more than one mode of action in the brain. Simply put, it reduces neuro-inflammation as well as enhances cell membrane structure and function.

But the main reductions in dementia rates are seen with long-term supplementation. It takes several years to see statistical improvements, although that’s probably at least partly due to the fact that dementia and neurodegenerative processes take years to develop.

In terms of duration, 7 to 10 years of an intake of 500 to 1000 mg of DHA per day is where the research has found the most statistically significant benefit. Now, that’s total DHA intake, not necessarily from supplementation. It should also be noted that going significantly above 1000 mg per day is not recommended, as there are some studies that indicate that too much Omega 3 fat can have adverse effects on cell membrane composition which can alter heart muscle function.

Several foods have significant amounts of DHA. Fatty fish like salmon are top of the list, but other meats and eggs are reasonably good sources as well. Foods like walnuts and flax seeds don’t directly supply DHA, but contain different Omega 3 fats that the body converts partially to DHA when needed.

Depending on your diet, you may need some supplementation to approach the 500 to 1000 mg per day level. The more fatty fish you eat, the less supplementation comes into play.

When supplementing, it’s important to be aware of the difference between the total amount of the source of the supplement and the dosage of the Omega 3 (usually mostly a combination of DHA and EPA) it provides. For example, a supplement that’s labeled as 1000 mg may be referring to the amount of fish oil it contains, less than a third of which is Omega 3 fats, and typically a little less than half of the Omega 3 is DHA. So, out of a 1000 mg supplement, you might get 120 to 150 mg of DHA. With a moderately healthy diet containing some fish, meat, and eggs, three of those supplements per day would most likely get you into the target intake range

One other thing to be aware of, although it’s not as common with Omega 3 as with some other nutritional products, is the “serving size” of the supplement may be more than one pill. Most of the fish oil and other Omega 3 supplements (such as krill oil) are labeled with the amount in one capsule, but some manufacturers have started getting sneaky and the amount refers to a serving size of two or more capsules (probably to make their products seem like a better value than the competition). So, read the nutrition information on the label to know what you’re actually getting.

Until next time…

George F. Best, D.C.