Mixed results for omega-3 fatty acid DHA in Alzheimer's study

Some health gurus have suggested that omega-3 fatty acids, commonly found in fatty fish, fish oil and in supplement form, can help ward off Alzheimer's disease (AD) but two new studies of DHA have returned mixed results, according to a release from the Alzheimer's Association. The results of the first study, conducted by the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS)and supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), did not find any benefit to taking DHA supplements in people with mild to moderate AD who took DHA for 18 months. Another study of DHA by Martek Biosciences had a positive result on one test of memory and learning, but that study was in healthy older adults, not people with AD or another dementia. The researchers presented data from both studies at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna. Early detection could be the key to tackling AD and dementia. "These two studies – and other recent Alzheimer's therapy trials – raise the possibility that treatments for Alzheimer's must be given very early in the disease for them to be truly effective," said William Thies, PhD, Chief Medical & Scientific Officer at the Alzheimer's Association. "For that to happen, we need to get much better at early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's, in order to test therapies at earlier stages of the disease and enable earlier intervention." So, maybe older adults should start taking DHA as a preventive meaasure to keep their memories fine-tuned while they are still healthy, instead of waiting until they see the first signs of memory problems.