Are Omega-3s Good for Your Brain?

Omega-3 is easily the most popular supplement in America. Roughly 8% of adults—or about 19 million people—take some kind of omega-3 fatty acid supplement, according to the latest figures from the National Institutes of Health. There’s a reason fish oil capsules and other omega-3 supplements are so popular. “Omega-3 fatty acids are involved in many different fundamental [brain] processes,” says Simon Dyall, a principal academic and head of nutrition at Bournemouth University in the UK. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids—namely EPA and DHA—and their metabolites influence gene expression, oxidative stress, cerebral blood flow, levels of neurotransmitters, and other brain-related processes such as the production of new neurons, Dyall explains. DHA in particular is an essential building block of the brain’s cell membranes. So at a molecular level—like a house without bricks or walls—the brain could not exist without omega-3 fatty acids. What’s not clear today is whether swallowing a fish oil pill or some other type of omega-3 supplement can improve cognitive function or safeguard brain health. “We have a lot of evidence that omega-3’s may have favorable effects on the brain, but the evidence on dietary intakes and supplements is inconclusive,” says Aron Barbey, an associate professor and director of the Center for Brain Plasticity at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne. Barbey’s...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Diet/Nutrition healthytime Source Type: news