Millions take omega-3 fish oil for brain health but a new study found no benefit
Key takeaways
- Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on fish oil supplements, largely because of claims that the omega-3 fatty acids they contain can support brain health.
- But new research from Keck Medicine of USC suggests that boosting omega-3 levels through supplements may not provide the brain benefits many people expect.
- "While omega-3s play an important role in forming brain cell connections needed for cognition, our results do not support fish oil supplements as a preventive measure against Alzheimer's."
Why this matters: new research or scientific developments with potential real-world impact.
Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on fish oil supplements, largely because of claims that the omega-3 fatty acids they contain can support brain health. These essential nutrients help build and maintain the connections between brain cells that are important for thinking and memory.
But new research from Keck Medicine of USC suggests that boosting omega-3 levels through supplements may not provide the brain benefits many people expect. The study, published in e Bio Medicine, found that although omega-3s from fish oil successfully reached the brain, they did not improve measures of brain health in older adults at increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Over the course of a two-year, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial, researchers found that high-dose omega-3 supplements failed to improve memory, cognitive performance, or brain cell loss in regions associated with Alzheimer's.