A diet high in the omega-3 fatty acid DHA greatly reduces buildup of Alzheimer’s-related proteins in mice.
Low levels of DHA&emdash;docosahexaenoic acid&emdash;have been reported in the brain of people with Alzheimer’s.
Furthermore, there is evidence that consumption of fish oils, a source of DHA, can protect against the disease.
Greg Cole of the University of California, Los Angeles and colleagues have now shown that DHA has a direct affect on the buildup of Alzheimer’s-linked amyloid protein.
The researchers fed mice with a model of the disease either a high-DHA or low-DHA diet.
While the mice were engineered to develop Alzheimer’s, the group fed the DHA-rich diet had 70% less buildup of disease-linked amyloid protein in the brain after three to five months.
Furthermore, the protein was reduced even when the diet was begun late in life.
The research is reported in the Journal of Neuroscience.
