Study says eating fish keeps you young mentally

Study says eating fish keeps you young mentally

Growing up, weren't you often told by your mother that fish is good for your brain? Well, a study conducted has only added credence to your mother's thoughts. According to researchers, consuming fish once a week reduces you mental aging which is equivalent to being younger by three to four years.

For the current study, a sample of 3,718 people was taken and they were quizzed on simple topics like remembering the particulars of a story. The subjects were citizens of Chicago (65 years and above) and the study was conducted thrice over a period of six years. In addition, the participants also answered a questionnaire regarding their food habits. All these people were part of the Chicago Health and Aging Project.

The results found were as follows; people who ate fish at least once a week had a 10 percent slower reduction in mental ability while those who consuming it more than once were seen to, have a 13 percent slower decline in their thinking capacity over time. The decline in thinking ability was more rapid in people who did not eat fish as frequently.

These revelations were made by co-author Martha Clare Morris, an epidemiologist at Rush University Medical Center.

However, the study could not locate any association between omega-3 fatty acids and reduction in mental decline which earlier studies had done. According to Morris chances are that something else about eating food probably was beneficial in slowing down the mental decline.

But Dr. William E. Connor of the Clinical Nutrition Department of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University (he was not part of the research team) has a differing view. Dr. William believes that taking blood samples of the subjects for looking at their omega-3 fatty acids content would have made the research more authentic.

This study appears online on the Oct. 10 issue of the Archives of Neurology and will also be published in the December issue of its journal.

Earlier researches conducted had already revealed that eating fish lessened the chances of Alzheimer's disease and stroke. Fishes like salmon and tuna are wealthy in omega-3 fatty acids which play a crucial role in helping you prevent heart diseases. A research carried some time back had also found that a specific omega-3 fatty acid named docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is essential for memory in older animals.

On the other hand, the Food and Drug Administration cautioned pregnant women and little children to stay away from certain varieties of fish with had a good amount of mercury like shark, swordfish, king mackerel etc. According to FDA, there are chances that mercury might harm the developing brains of fetuses and children.