Study: Weekly Seafood Slows Cognitive Decline

Seafood and other foods containing long-chain n-3 fatty acids slow cognitive decline in elderly individuals, according to new research.

Cognition naturally declines during the aging process, but previous research has indicated a possible link between seafood and cognitive performance.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

To examine the association, the researchers gathered data from 915 participants who did not have dementia at baseline, were an average age of 81.4 years, and were participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project in Illinois. Participants were also required to have completed at least 1 follow-up assessment.

The researchers administered annual food frequency questionnaires to assess their intake of 4 types of seafood: tuna sandwiches; fish sticks, fish cakes, and fish sandwiches; fresh fish as a main dish; and shrimp, lobster, and crab.

Participants also completed 19 annual cognitive tests to assess global cognitive function and 5 cognitive domains, including episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory, perceptual speed, and visuospatial ability.

After nearly 5 years, the researchers found that seafood consumption was linked to slower decline in semantic memory and perceptual speed than those who did not eat seafood.

In addition, those who were carriers of APOE ε4 and ate seafood once a week or had moderate to high consumption of long-chain n-3 fatty acids had slower rates of decline in global cognition and in multiple cognitive domains.

 “These results suggest protective relations of one meal per week of seafood and long-chain n-3 fatty acids against decline in multiple cognitive domains,” the researchers concluded. “The role of APOE ε4 in this association needs further study.”

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

van de Rest O, Wang Y, Barnes LL, Tangney C, Bennett DA, Morris MC. APOE ε4 and the associations of seafood and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids with cognitive decline [published online May 4, 2016]. Neurology. http:/​/​dx.​doi.​org/​10.​1212/​WNL.​0000000000002719.