Study from the Barcelona Brain Research Center (BBRC) Pascual Maragall Foundation Research Center, in collaboration with the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, A recent study has shown that regular consumption of foods rich in omega-3 fats may be key to preventing dementia associated with Alzheimer’s disease..
The work was based on an analysis of 320 healthy people, most of whom were descended from individuals affected by the disease and therefore had a high genetic risk of developing it. The results showed that these fats increase the brain’s ability to metabolize glucose, which is necessary for its function.even if the first disease-related damage has already occurred.
The research is based on the hypothesis that before clinical symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease appear, specific areas of the brain have difficulty metabolizing glucose.” This is important because it is the organ of the body that is used the most.”Alex Sala Villa, study author, member of the Cardiovascular Risk and Nutrition Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, and scientific collaborator at the BBRC, highlighted.
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He pointed out in this regard that Omega 3 contributes to the proper functioning of receptors necessary for glucose uptake in the brain.These fats are incorporated into cell membranes, facilitating continued glucose utilization. For this reason, the researcher explained, “incorporating these omega-3s into the diet could be beneficial in order to have a brain that is resistant to the changes that occur before the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.”
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The results of this work were published in Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia: Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Disease Monitoring.
Study based on analysis of 320 volunteers
The study included data from 320 volunteers. This is a population group with good cognitive health, no clinical symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, but most of them are descended from people with the disease. Therefore, there is a high genetic risk of developing it.
These individuals were injected with glucose labeled with a tracer to check, using MRI, how it was metabolized in different areas of the brain. The amount of omega-3 in their blood was also measured.
The beneficial effects of omega-3 in reducing the effects of the disease
The results revealed that plant-based omega-3 acids (provided, for example, by foods such as nuts or soybeans) are associated with better glucose utilization in the brain, especially in participants with a higher genetic risk (carriers of the APOE-e4 gene).
On the other hand, omega-3 of marine origin (from blue fish) is more beneficial in people who, despite not showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s, have already begun to accumulate proteins characteristic of the disease (amyloid and tau).
So, Maintaining adequate levels of omega-3 in the blood is suggested to prevent the disease, especially in people at higher risk of developing dementia. This is achieved by incorporating foods such as walnuts and bluefish into the diet.“The researcher concluded.
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