A new study suggests that eating fish does not help improve memory skills over time despite of it having omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids usually found in fish oils and fish supplements. It is known to be beneficial for those with heart disease, joint pains, depression, asthma, and can also reduce ADHD on children
Previous studies have also associated eating fish to improved cognitive skills. There were mixed reactions on this claim though. A group of researchers from the University of Iowa challenged the validity of the study by testing if it does it what it claims to older women.
Eric Ammann, lead author of the study, and his colleagues involved 2,157 women between ages 65 and 80. They were given annual assessments for their thinking and memory skills for a span of six years. The assessments aim to evaluate seven cognitive functions: fine motor speed, verbal memory, visual memory, spatial ability, verbal knowledge, verbal fluency, an
Onset of the study, the researchers took blood samples of them to measure the levels of omega-3 fatty acids on their blood for the past two months. Another blood sample was taken a year after.
After the six-year monitoring period, the researchers compared the cognitive assessment results and the levels of omega-3 fatty acids on the blood of the participants.
Their analysis showed no difference on the memory skills of the women despite varying levels of omega-3 fatty acids. However, they saw a slightly better performance of those with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in terms of fine motor speed and fluency.
Amman admitted that they will need further analysis to prove that eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids does not do wonders in improving memory skills. They fell short of evidence as they only took one blood sample for evaluation.
The study was published in the Sept. 25 issue of the online journal Neurology.
