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"Papers with the potential to redirect our thinking about diseases arerare, but this study from Laval University in Quebec City, Canada, might do itfor Parkinson's disease," said Editor Joyce Nettleton. "The researchers showedthat the consumption of marine omega-3s-mainly docosahexaenoic acid(DHA)-- protected Parkinson's animals from losing their dopamine-producingneurons. Animals without these omega-3s lost 30 percent of these essentialcells, a hallmark of the disease. The implication is that sufficient brain DHAmight be able to prevent the onset of Parkinson's disease."
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The e-newsletters cover other studies linking marine omega-3s and bettercognitive abilities in aging. Eating fish regularly or having higher amountsof omega-3s in the blood are characteristic of older people who have escapeddementia or Alzheimer's disease, according to research from France and theNetherlands. In Norway, participants in their 70s who consumed fish at leastonce a week had superior mental abilities compared with those who avoidedeating fish.
Cognitive benefits from omega-3s seem not to be limited to older adults.Research from Australia found that infants consuming breast milk high in DHAhad higher cognitive scores at age 21/2 years. The same study showed thatmothers taking a high dose of fish oil in their last part of pregnancyincreased the amount of omega-3s in their milk and in the infant for at least6 weeks after delivery.
Research from Spain reported that more frequent fish consumption inchildren 6 1/2 years of age with higher risk of allergies was linked tosignificantly lower chance of developing allergic conditions. Evidence nowsuggests that maternal intake of omega-3s in pregnancy and a child'sconsumption of fish are associated with lower risk of childhood allergies.
"For all of these reasons, expecting mothers and people at risk forParkinson's disease should resolve in the new year to consume more marineomega-3s," Nettleton concluded.
The quarterly Fats of Life and PUFA Newsletter, sponsored by DSMNutritional Products, are online at http://www.fatsoflife.com and bycomplimentary subscription.
SOURCE Fats of Life - PUFA Newsletter
