If I Eat Sardines will I Stave Off Dementia?
Money Talks News’ recent article entitled “Eat This Every Week If You Hope to Avoid Dementia” reports that researchers have found that eating two or more servings of fish weekly may lower your risk of developing vascular brain disease later in life. This disease is a group of conditions that effect blood flow and blood vessels in the brain.
According to the study, the protective effect of such a diet is strongest in people who are younger than 75.
In a press release, study author Cecilia Samieri of the University of Bordeaux in France commented:
“Our results are exciting because they show something as simple as eating two or more servings of fish each week is associated with fewer brain lesions and other markers of vascular brain damage, long before obvious signs of dementia appear. However, eating that much fish did not have a protective effect in people 75 years of age and older.”
As part of the study, the French researchers looked at the data on more than 1,600 people ages 65 and older who had no history of dementia, stroke, or cardiovascular disease. Their average age was 72.
The brain scans were used to search for three markers of vascular disease that are strong predictors of cognitive decline and dementia.
The study participants also filled out questionnaires about their diet.
The researchers found that 31% of those who ate no fish had markers of severe underlying vascular brain disease, and the number fell to 23% of those who ate three servings a week, and 18% of those who ate four or more servings per week.
The types of fish you should eat to keep your brain in top shape are, according to the University of Bordeaux researchers: salmon, tuna and sardines. These are among the types of fish known to contain Omega-3s.
The National Institutes of Health says that “Omega-3s are important components of the membranes that surround each cell in your body. DHA [or docosahexaenoic acid, one type of Omega-3] levels are especially high in retina (eye), brain and sperm cells. Omega-3s also provide calories to give your body energy and have many functions in your heart, blood vessels, lungs, immune system and endocrine system (the network of hormone-producing glands).”
The research study was published in the online edition of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
BOOK A CALL with me, Ted Vicknair, Board Certified Estate Planning and Administration Specialist, Board Certified Tax Law Specialist, and CPA to learn more about estate planning, incapacity planning, and asset protection.
If you liked this article, “If I Eat Sardines will I Stave Off Dementia?” read these additional articles: How Do I Write My Will? and Can a Common Surgery Reduce the Risk of Dementia? and What Is Elder Law? and How to Avoid Giving Estate to Your Ex.
Reference: Money Talks News (Dec. 30, 2021) “Eat This Every Week If You Hope to Avoid Dementia”
