Eating fish reduces risk of dementia
Older people who eat fish or other seafood at least once a week are at
lower risk of developing dementia, data from a new study indicate (BMJ
2002;325:932).
The study involved 1,674 people aged 68 years and over without dementia
who were followed up at two, five and seven years. People who ate fish
or seafood at least once a week had a hazard ratio, adjusted for age and
sex, of 0.69 for developing Alzheimer’s disease in the seven subsequent
years (95 per cent confidence interval 0.47 to 1.01). No significant association
was found between meat consumption and risk of dementia.
The researchers suggest that as well as providing vascular protection,
the fatty acids contained in fish oils could reduce inflammation in the
brain and may have a specific role in regeneration of nerve cells.
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