http://nutrition.about.com/od/researchstudies/a/omega_3_alzheim.htm

Fish Oil Holds Promise in Alzheimer's Fight
from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

More Good News About Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Fish IS Brain Food
Even our grandmothers told us fish was "brain food" -- and now
scientists have evidence to back the claim.
Researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) found that a diet high
in docosahexenoic acid, or DHA -- an omega-3 fatty acid found in
relatively high concentrations in cold-water fish -- dramatically
slowed the progression of Alzheimer's disease in mice. Specifically,
DHA cut the harmful brain plaques that mark the disease. The results
appear in the March 23 online edition of the Journal of Neuroscience.

Therapy that is Easily Available
Senior author Greg M. Cole, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at the Greater
Los Angeles VA Healthcare System and UCLA, said that unlike many
studies with mice, this one points to the benefits of a therapy that
is easily available and already touted for other medical conditions.
DHA -- either from food sources such as fish and soy, or in fish-oil
supplements -- is recommended by many cardiologists for heart health,
based on scores of previous studies.
"The good news from this study is that we can buy the therapy at a
supermarket or drug store," said Cole. "DHA has a tremendous safety
profile -- essentially no side effects -- and clinical trial evidence
supports giving DHA supplements to people at risk for cardiovascular
disease."

About the Study
The new study involved older mice genetically altered to develop
Alzheimer's disease. The researchers fed one group of the mice DHA-
fortified chow. The control mice ate a normal or DHA-depleted diet.
After three to five months -- the equivalent of several years in
human biology -- the high-DHA group had 70-percent less buildup of
amyloid protein in the brain. This sticky protein makes up the
plaques, or patches, that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's.
A similar study by Cole's group published in Neuron last fall showed
that DHA protected against damage to the "synaptic" areas where brain
cells communicate and enabled mice to perform better on memory tests.

The studies, say the scientists, suggest that even people who are
genetically predisposed to the disease may be able to delay it by
boosting their DHA intake.

Omega-3 Deficient Diets
Omega-3 fatty acids, typically deficient in the American diet, are
essential for human health. DHA in particular is vital to proper
brain function, as well as eye health and other body processes. In
recent years epidemiologists have tied fish-rich diets to a lower
incidence of Alzheimer's disease and homed in on DHA as the
preventive factor. Omega-3 fatty acid supplements are now being
tested in clinical trials with early-stage Alzheimer's patients in
the United States, Canada and Sweden to see if the therapy really
slows the disease.
Food sources of omega-3 fatty acids include fish such as salmon,
halibut, mackerel and sardines, as well as almonds, walnuts, soy, and
DHA-enriched eggs. Concerns about mercury contamination in fish have
helped popularize purified DHA supplements based on fish oil or
algae.

A Spice that Works Too
Last year, Cole's team identified another nutrient that appears to
combat Alzheimer's plaques in mice: curcumin, the yellow pigment in
turmeric, one of the spices that make up curry powder. Researchers
became interested in curcumin's potential to prevent or treat
Alzheimer's disease after noting the low prevalence of dementia among
the elderly in India, where curry is a staple.
Cole is the associate director for research at VA's Los Angeles-based
Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, and a professor of
medicine and neurology at UCLA. Lead author for the new study was
Giselle P. Lim, PhD, a UCLA postgraduate researcher in Cole's group.
Working with them were colleagues from VA, UCLA and the National
Institutes of Health. The study was supported by the National
Institute on Aging, VA, the Alzheimer's Association, and the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research.

My Opinion: This study gives hope for prevention of Alzheimer's
Disease. DHA and Omega-3 fatty acids are so essential to our health,
that we really need to think more about eating more foods like
fish, "omega-eggs," walnuts, soy, pumpkin seeds, and flax. Since no
side affects are apparent other than the "fish burps" you may get
from taking supplements, I suggest that anyone who has a family
history of Alzheimer's should go ahead and take fish oil, flax oil,
or DHA supplements.