Eating fish helps keep mind alert

Healthcare News
11/10/2005
Elderly people who eat portions of fish have a slower rate of cognitive decline than those people who do not consume the seafood.

Elderly people who eat fish at least once a week have a slower rate of cognitive decline than those who do not consume the meat, according to new research.

The study, published online in the Archives of Neurology, suggests that omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish can help neurocognitive development and can slow the rate at which people lose cognitive function.

Researchers from the Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago discovered the fish benefits after analysing six years of information from an ongoing study of people 65 years and older.

The group were initially interviewed between 1993 and 1997 and then again every three years in two follow-up interviews.

At each interview the subjects took part in four cognitive tests and answered questions regarding the frequency of consumption of 139 different foods, daily activities, exercise levels, alcohol consumption and medical history.

From the data the researchers found that dietary intake of fish was inversely associated with cognitive decline over six years.

"The rate of decline was reduced by 10 percent to 13 percent per year among persons who consumed one or more fish meals per week compared with those with less than weekly consumption," the authors wrote.

"The rate reduction is the equivalent of being three to four years younger in age.?

The authors said the findings suggested that eating one or more fish meals per week might protect against cognitive decline associated with old age.