Another study (2), found a 49% reduced risk for dementia in those with the highest omega-3 DHA level (top fifth) in their red blood cells versus the lowest (bottom fifth). Oily fish and fish oil supplements contain two kinds of omega-3 fat called DHA and EPA. DHA is the main fat found in brain cells of all animals.
What’s more your omega-3 index predicts both your brain size and cognitive abilities according to this study (3) from Loma Linda University, featured in the Blue Zones film, so you might want to check you’re above 8%.
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A person’s omega-3 index, which is a composite score of both EPA and DHA bound into red blood cell membranes, predicts both the risk for depression (4) and, and poorer reading ability, lower IQ, worse memory, difficulty sleeping, aggression and emotional instability in children – hallmarks of ADHD (5) .
It also predicts risks for heart disease (6) and developmental problems in babies from measures taken in women both before and during pregnancy. Pregnant women with a higher omega-3 index have a much lower risk of having a baby with developmental problems, according to research at Imperial College London from the Institute of Brain Chemistry at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital campus.
You may read this and immediately order yourself some quality omega-3 supplements and eat some smoked salmon for lunch, but there is a missing piece.
Omega-3 fats can only become useful or active through the process of methylation.
This new study (7) concludes that the combination of B vitamins and fatty acids improved cognitive function. This is because in methylation DHA attaches to a phospholipid and thereby enables it to be incorporated into the neuronal membrane of the brain. The process of methylation is totally dependent on vitamins B6, B12 and folate.
So you need both the high omega-3 status (over 8%) and you need the B vitamins to incorporate the DHA fatty acid into the brain. You know you are doing methylation properly if your homocysteine is below 11mcmol/L. In a big Omega-3 study people with early-stage dementia were given 2.3 grams (think two big fish oil tablets) a day but only those with lower homocysteine levels benefitted.
Having a raised homocysteine, above 11mcmol/L, is extremely common. In the US about 40% of people over 60 years old have higher levels. Often this is due to poor absorption of vitamin B12 and requires high-dose supplementation to normalise homocysteine. (Read more about homocysteine here)
That’s why it’s important to check both your homocysteine level and your omega-3 index.
You need to test your status for both in order to truly protect and reclaim your brain.
This is why we have launched our new at-home, 4 in 1, pinprick DRIfT blood test to easily check your Omega-3 index, homocysteine, Vitamin D and HbA1c (the best measure for glucose control). These four risk markers, measured in the DRIfT test, are thought to account for over half the modifiable risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Having an active lifestyle, both physically, socially and intellectually further reduces risk substantially. (We will help you assess your risk through our free Cognitive Function Test and then tell you exactly what you need to do to protect your brain!)
We launched DRIFT as part of our global prevention study and research so when you order your test you will not only help upgrade your brain but become a Citizen Scientist and be a part of our research into optimising brain health for all ages.
An accurate and easy way to check your brain health and know exactly what to supplement and do to look after your brain.
Thank you for reading!
Food for the Brain is a non-for-profit educational and research charity that offers a free Cognitive Function Test and assesses your Dementia Risk Index to be able to advise you on how to dementia-proof your diet and lifestyle.
By completing the Cognitive Function Test you are joining our grassroots research initiative to find out what really works for preventing cognitive decline. We share our ongoing research results with you to help you make brain-friendly choices.
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1 Sala-Vila, A.; Tintle, N.; Westra, J.; Harris, W.S. Plasma Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Risk for Incident Dementia in the UK Biobank Study: A Closer Look. Nutrients 2023, 15,4896. https://doi.org/10.3390/ nu15234896
2 Sala-Vila, A.; Satizabal, C.L.; Tintle, N.; Melo van Lent, D.; Vasan, R.S.; Beiser, A.S.; Seshadri, S.; Harris, W.S. Red Blood Cell DHA Is Inversely Associated with Risk of Incident Alzheimer’s Disease and All-Cause Dementia: Framingham Offspring Study. Nutrients 2022, 14, 2408. https://doi.org/10.3390/ nu14122408
3 Loong S, Barnes S, Gatto NM, Chowdhury S, Lee GJ. Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Cognition, and Brain Volume in Older Adults. Brain Sci. 2023 Sep 2;13(9):1278. doi: 10.3390/brainsci13091278. PMID: 37759879; PMCID: PMC10526215.
4 Yonezawa K, Kusumoto Y, Kanchi N, Kinoshita H, Kanegae S, Yamaguchi N, Ozawa H. Recent trends in mental illness and omega-3 fatty acids. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2020 Nov;127(11):1491-1499. doi: 10.1007/s00702-020-02212-z. Epub 2020 May 25. PMID: 32451632.
5 Montgomery P, Burton JR, Sewell RP, Spreckelsen TF, Richardson AJ. Low blood long chain omega-3 fatty acids in UK children are associated with poor cognitive performance and behavior: a cross-sectional analysis from the DOLAB study. PLoS One. 2013 Jun 24;8(6):e66697. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066697. Erratum in: PLoS One. 2013;8(9).doi:10.1371/annotation/26c6b13f-b83a-4a3f-978a-c09d8ccf1ae2. PMID: 23826114; PMCID: PMC3691187; see also Raine A, Ang RP, Choy O, Hibbeln JR, Ho RM, Lim CG, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Ling S, Liu JCJ, Ooi YP, Tan YR, Fung DSS. Omega-3 (ω-3) and social skills interventions for reactive aggression and childhood externalizing behavior problems: a randomized, stratified, double-blind, placebo-controlled, factorial trial. Psychol Med. 2019 Jan;49(2):335-344. Doi 10.1007/s11920-018-0894-y. PMID: 29623453. ; see also Liu, J., Cui, Y., Li, L. et al. The mediating role of sleep in the fish consumption – cognitive functioning relationship: a cohort study. Sci Rep 7, 17961 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-17520-w
6 Gutierrez L, Folch A, Rojas M, Cantero JL, Atienza M, Folch J, Camins A, Ruiz A, Papandreou C, Bulló M. Effects of Nutrition on Cognitive Function in Adults with or without Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials. Nutrients. 2021 Oct 22;13(11):3728. doi: 10.3390/nu13113728. PMID: 34835984; PMCID: PMC8621754.
7 Jernerén F, Cederholm T, Refsum H, Smith AD, Turner C, Palmblad J, Eriksdotter M, Hjorth E, Faxen-Irving G, Wahlund LO, Schultzberg M, Basun H, Freund-Levi Y. Homocysteine Status Modifies the Treatment Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Cognition in a Randomized Clinical Trial in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease: The OmegAD Study. J Alzheimers Dis. 2019;69(1):189-197. doi: 10.3233/JAD-181148. PMID: 30958356.
