Fish are good for your brain, though the reasons why may surprise you.
For years we’ve been told about the benefits of omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, and those healthy contributions still hold true. However, there is a more significant finding recently discovered by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pennsylvania.
Apparently, there is evidence to support the idea that fish-eaters promote certain lifestyle factors that increases brain health, possibly reducing risk of dementia in their later years.
Researcher Prof. James T. Becker noted that 80 million people or more will have dementia by 2040, a significant increase from the 5.2 million Americans currently suffering, as reported by the Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s alone could triple to 16 million by 2050.
Nothing short of a medical breakthrough, or intense intervention, will turn the tide of incoming dementia patients.
Building on previous studies, which linked the omega-3 fatty acids to improved brain health, investigators analyzed data from 260 normal participants from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). These contributors supplied dietary data, and submitted to high-resolution brain MRI scans.
The scans revealed that “weekly fish eaters had more grey matter in memory and cognition brain areas.” Lead investigator Dr. Cyrus Raji, noted that these participants didn’t eat fried fish, choosing instead broiled or baked fish, which has higher omega-3 levels. Researchers discovered that these participants had larger amounts of grey matter in the regions responsible for memory and cognition.
Still, Dr. Becker explains that they did not find a link between the brain differences or changes and omega-3 blood levels, which was surprising. He surmised that their research was simply “tapping into a more general set of lifestyle factors that were affecting brain health, of which diet is just one part.” Fish-eating then, might lead to certain lifestyle factors that improve brain health, instead of biological factors which actually strengthen the brain.
Read the full article here: For a healthy brain, eat baked or broiled fish every week – Medical
