The link between consuming fish and brain power is controversial – but a new study claims a link with brain health in old age.
Researchers found that people with high levels of the omega 3 fats, found in fish, in their bodies had larger brains than others.
The researchers claim the increased volume linked to fish oils is equivalent to one or two years of ageing.
The findings come from a study of some 1,111 women reported in the journal Neurology.
Levels of omega-3 in their blood were tested when they were aged 70 on average and then their brain volumes measured eight years later using MRI scanning.
There were particular benefits found in the hippocampus area of the brain, a key area for memory.
Researcher Dr James Pottala, of the University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, USA, said: “These higher levels of fatty acids can be achieved through diet and the use of supplements, and the results suggest that the effect on brain volume is the equivalent of delaying the normal loss of brain cells that comes with ageing by one to two years."
Neurology 22 January 2014
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