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A new study examines the potential impact of healthy dietary fats on brain longevity.
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Findings imply that getting enough omega-3 fatty acids could protect women against Alzheimer’s disease.
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Below, experts break down the connection.
Women are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease as men, and the search for why is ongoing. There’s thought that the decline could be tied to brain changes that happen in menopause, or the fact that women tend to live longer, and therefore, are naturally at greater risk. Whatever the case, there may be a supplement that could help stave off Alzheimer’s, at least that’s what a new study points to. Specifically, researchers found that getting enough omega-3 fatty acids through diet and/or supplementation could, theoretically, give women more brain longevity.
Meet the Experts: Austin Perlmutter, M.D., board-certified internal medicine physician and chief science officer at Big Bold Health; and Trista Best, M.P.H., R.D.N., registered dietitian at Balance One Supplements.
Researchers tested blood samples from 841 men and women—306 with Alzheimer’s disease, 165 with mild cognitive impairment, and 370 who were cognitively healthy—and analyzed them for sex-specific differences in lipid levels. Blood lipids are made up of fats and other non-soluble materials that, when measured, help determine how healthy you are.
What did the study find?
The lipid panel results showed that women with Alzheimer’s dementia “had significantly lower levels of unsaturated fatty acids and higher levels of saturated fatty acids in their blood compared to healthy controls,” explains Austin Perlmutter, M.D., board-certified internal medicine physician and chief science officer at Big Bold Health. “This speaks to the potential for a protective effect from consumption of more unsaturated fats, like omega-3 fatty acids, when it comes to women’s brain health.”
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids that the brain and body need for cell membrane structure, inflammation control, hormone health, and more. Your body doesn’t create them, so the only way to get more of them is through food, according to the National Institutes of Health. Foods that contain them include fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, nuts, seeds, plant oils, and avocado.
Interestingly, past studies have found cognitively healthy women to have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids than men, which is why the potential decline of them in women with Alzheimer’s is particularly noteworthy. The one caveat here is: This study simply accounted for a sex-specific difference in omega-3 fatty acids in the blood. It was not able to narrow in on the exact types of omega-3 fatty acids (as there are more than one) linked to better or worse brain health, Dr. Perlmutter notes.
How omega-3 fatty acids could protect against Alzheimer’s disease
“Roughly 60% of the brain is made of fat, and half that amount is omega-3 type fats,” explains Trista Best, M.P.H., R.D.N., registered dietitian at Balance One Supplements. “It has been found that omega-3-rich foods can help prevent cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s and slow mental decline.”
Omega-3 fatty acids are “essential to the maintenance of healthy brain development, function, and protection,” adds Dr. Perlmutter. The brain requires them to make nerve cells, explains Best, which are vital for memory and learning. They also support the brain’s immune system, which needs to be strong to fight off the chronic brain inflammation brought on by Alzheimer’s, Dr. Perlmutter continues. For these reasons, the study’s findings suggest women may benefit from either supplementing or focusing on eating more omega-3s.
The bottom line
“Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for healthy brain function,” says Dr. Perlmutter. Standard guidelines recommend around 500 milligrams a day, he notes, which equates to roughly two servings of fatty fish per week. People who don’t eat fish may want to consider incorporating more nuts and seeds into their meals or taking supplements.
“Most people are consuming a diet rich in highly processed food and are unlikely to be consuming the right types of nutrients to optimally support brain health across the lifespan,” concludes Dr. Perlmutter. “This study adds to the large body of research suggesting that consuming a diet richer in unsaturated fats may be of particular value to brain protection.”
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