“Why Can't Fish Oil Supplements Keep Our Brains Sharp?”

I love this picture! (I’ve never tried to catch fish using vitamins)

For you supplement junkies, here’s a well-written article from Allison Aubrey, a correspondent for NPR News and veteran myth debunker (among other skills, see http://www.npr.org/people/2100208/allison-aubrey ).

She recently reviewed a study published in Neurology, the “Official Journal of the American Academy of Neurology" which finds that omega-3s may not benefit thinking skills or help fend off cognitive decline.

If you’re a pill/supplement popper, this might pop, or at least somewhat deflate your bubble.

While Aubrey has a number of hypotheses regarding this result, she does state that “The researchers found no differences in declines in brain sharpness among the women who had high levels of omega 3s in their blood compared with those with low levels of omega 3s.”

Aubrey goes on to write that “As study author Eric Ammann of the University of Iowa, points out in an email, "most randomized trials of omega-3 supplements have not found an effect on cognitive function."

Hmmm.

She ends her article noting that “In fact, there's increasing evidence, as outlined by Paul Offit*, that we do our bodies no favors by taking a daily regimen of vitamins or supplements.”

Here's a link to her article on the NPR site: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/09/26/226097543/why-cant-fish-oil-supplements-keep-our-brains-sharp

 

Here’s a link to the original study: http://www.neurology.org/content/early/2013/09/25/WNL.0b013e3182a9584c.short

*And here’s a link to the Paul Offit article regarding supplements - http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/the-vitamin-myth-why-we-think-we-need-supplements/277947/

 

Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_8764272_close-up-of-a-cod-liver-fish-oil-capsule-a-nutrional-supplement-high-in-omega-3-fatty-acids-epa--dha.html'>onepony / 123RF Stock Photo</a>