Eat Boiled or Baked Fish for a Healthy Brain

A new research conducted by the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences reveals eating broiled or baked fish improves brain health, regardless of its Omega-3 fatty acid content.

The researchers say boiling or baking the fish and then consuming it once or twice every week helps to keep your brain younger and smarter for a longer period of time and this in turn will help boost your brain health largely.

Advantages of Eating Fish Foods

Researchers worldwide have discovered that eating fish regularly is good for health. Regular consumption of fish may reduce the risk of diseases such as asthma, prostate cancer and eyesight.

Fish contain large amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids and baking or boiling the fish is recommended as these higher levels of Omega-3s remain intact in these cases as compared to fried fish, said Cyrus Raji, M. D., Ph. D, the lead investigator of a new cardiovascular health study. These Omega-3 fatty acids are vital for a normal metabolism and they also help in significantly improving the brain health.

For this study, researchers took data from 260 people who scored normally on two separate cognition tests; they then provided data about their dietary intake and underwent brain scans. Those who ate fish at least once a week had larger brain volume in areas linked to memory and thinking skills than those who didn't eat fish, and were more likely to have a higher education.

Fish: The Best and The Worst

Some fish are contaminated with high levels of methyl mercury. Methyl mercury is a neurotoxin, which affects the pregnant or lactating mother's child's brain.

The researchers explained that people who ate boiled or baked fish at least once a week had more grey matter brain volumes in regions associated with memory and cognition as compared with those who went in for fried fish or did not have fish at all.

James Becker, Ph. D., professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the senior investigator of this study, said, "This suggests that lifestyle factors, in this case eating fish, rather than biological factors contribute to structural changes in the brain."

The research was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Source: Medindia

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