Lack of Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Age the Brain

Those who follow a diet that is short on omega-3 fatty acids (nutrients commonly found in fish) may cause the brain to age faster, and lose some of its memory and thinking abilities. That’s according to a new study that appears in the Feb. 28, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Omega-3 fatty acids include the nutrients docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

“People with lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were equivalent to about two years of structural brain aging,” says study author Zaldy S. Tan, MD, MPH, of the Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research and the Division of Geriatrics, University of California at Los Angeles. For more information, click here to read the full release.