title: Omega-3 fatty acids and risk of cognitive decline in the elderly: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
abstract: Evidence has demonstrated that omega-3 fatty acids intake may be associated with age-related cognitive decline. However, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have drawn inconsistent conclusions. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the association between omega-3 fatty acids and risk of cognitive decline in the elderly. A strategic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library (updated to December 2014) was performed. We retrieved six randomized controlled studies as eligible for our meta-analysis. Among these six studies, the duration time ranged from 3 to 40 months. The dose of omega-3 fatty acids (DHA + EPA) ranged from 400 to 1800 mg. The result of our meta-analysis expressed that omega-3 fatty acids statistically decrease the rate of cognitive decline in MMSE score (WMD = 0.15, [0.05, 0.25]; p = 0.003). In conclusion, our meta-analysis indicated that omega-3 fatty acids may help to prevent cognitive decline in the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Wei
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wen-Shang
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China. zhenyutang0791@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhen-Yu
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3
keywords: Cognitive decline; Meta-analysis; Omega-3 fatty acids; Randomized controlled trial