title: Fish consumption and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for prevention or treatment of cognitive decline, dementia or Alzheimer's disease in older adults - any news?
abstract: Twenty years of research indicates that fish and n-3 fatty acids (FAs), for example docosahexaenoic acid, may attenuate cognitive decline including Alzheimer's disease in older people. This review concerns reports during 2015-2016 in humans.
  
  
  
  One prospective cohort study showed that seafood consumption was related to less neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in brain autopsies from elderly care residents. In a large 5-year intervention no effects on cognition could be shown either in n-3 FA supplemented or in control patients. Two meta-analyses in community-dwelling patients support preservation of cognition with higher fish intake. Older adults with memory complaints may improve cortical blood flow during memory challenges by n-3 FA supplementation. Recalculations from a report in Alzheimer's disease patients indicated a dose-response pattern between increments of serum n-3 FAs and cognitive improvement. Still, a Cochrane review (using three randomized control trials) concluded that n-3 FAs cannot provide any 6-month benefit in patients with mild/moderate Alzheimer's disease.
  
  
  
  The accumulated knowledge indicates that healthy populations may have preventive benefits from fish and docosahexaenoic acid intake, like older adults with memory complaints/mild cognitive impairment, and maybe subgroups of patients with mild/moderate Alzheimer's disease may also show such benefits. Still, more studies are needed.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Geriatric Medicine, Uppsala University Hospital and Public Health and Caring Sciences, Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tommy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cederholm
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D000818:Animals; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D003704:Dementia / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004435:Eating; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005399:Fishes; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids