The benefits of fish and fish oils are widely recognised by the natural health community, but until recently, those benefits were not generally regarded as extending to helping reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. However, a recent study suggests that eating baked or broiled fish may significantly reduce Alzheimer's risk.
Cyrus Raji, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Medical Center, who presented his team's findings at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), said their study was the first to "establish a direct relationship between fish consumption, brain structure and Alzheimer's risk." He went on to say that those who ate baked or broiled fish once per week or more showed "better preservation of grey matter volume" as shown on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans in those areas of the brain that are associated with Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Raji's presentation was summarised in a November 2011 RSNA Press Release.
Brain function has been shown to have a direct correlation with brain volume and Alzheimer's disease, a cumulative and as yet incurable reduction in cognitive abilities, has been shown to be accompanied by a reduction of brain volume in certain key areas. Dr. Raji and his associates conducted a ten year study of 260 individuals whose cognitive functions were initially shown to be normal. Of these 260 subjects, 163 ate fish on a weekly basis and most of these consumed broiled or baked fish up to four times a week. At the end of the study, the participants were again given volumetric MRI scans. According to Dr. Raji, even after taking into consideration factors such as age, race, physical activity, gender and the presence or absence of the apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) gene (a gene that is known to increase Alzheimer's risk), those who regularly ate broiled or baked fish had a nearly five-fold reduction in their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or the less debilitating Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), which is often a precursor to Alzheimer's.
How Does Eating Fish Reduce Alzheimer's Risk?
Several areas of the brain are associated with Alzheimer's risk. According to Dr. Raji, "Consuming baked or broiled fish promotes stronger neurons in the brain's grey matter by making them larger and healthier." While several areas of the brain were shown to benefit from a regular fish diet, the cognitively important frontal cortex showed particularly strong effects. Dr. Raji did not mention why baked or broiled fish were beneficial while fried fish did not seem to help maintain brain health, but did specify that it did not. For study purposes, "broiled" fish was defined as fish that was cooked with the direct application of radiant heat, such as grilled fish and "baked" fish was defined as fish cooked with dry heat, such as oven baked fish. Also not included were raw and boiled fish.
For unknown reasons, the incidence of Alzheimer's disease is on the rise. In the United States alone, over 5 million people are diagnosed with the disease each year. This study and others indicate that there may be a dietary component to Alzheimer's and a host of other diseases. Increasingly, science seems to be backing up the old adage, "You are what you eat."
Originally published on Dec 12, 2011
