October 10, 2005
Eating Fish Once A Week Associated With Slower
Cognitive Decline
CHICAGO Consuming fish at least once a week was
associated with a 10 percent per year slower rate of
cognitive decline in elderly people, according to a
new study posted online today from Archives of
Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The
study will be published in the December print edition
of the journal.
Martha Clare Morris, ScD, of Rush University Medical
Center, and colleagues analyzed six years of data from
an ongoing study of Chicago residents, 65 years and
older, first interviewed between 1993 and 1997 and
every three years in two follow-up interviews.
Interviews included four standardized cognitive tests
and dietary questions on the frequency of consumption
of 139 different foods, as well as questions of daily
activities, exercise levels, alcohol consumption and
medical history.
Morris found dietary intake of fish was inversely
associated with cognitive decline over six years in
this older, biracial community study. "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 rate reduction is the equivalent of
being three to four years younger in age," she said.
Morris and colleagues examined whether overall dietary
consumption patterns accounted for the association of
cognitive decline and fish consumption, but the rate
differences did not change after adjusting for
consumption of fruit and vegetables.
"Cognitive decline is common among older people and is
very much associated with advancing age. Our data
offer no insight as to whether this cognitive decline
is pathological or the result of a normal aging
process. Nonetheless, data from the United States and
other countries indicate that it is a widespread and
increasing public health problem."
Fish is a direct source of omega-3 fatty acids, which
have been shown to be essential for neurocognitive
development and normal brain functioning, according to
background information in the article. Fish
consumption has been associated with lower risk of
dementia and stroke and recent studies have suggested
that consumption of one omega-3 fatty acid in
particular, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is important
for memory performance in aged animals.
"This study suggests that eating one or more fish
meals per week may protect against cognitive decline
associated with older age," says Morris. "More precise
studies of the different dietary constituents of fish
should help to understand the nature of the
association."
This study was supported by grants from the National
Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.
http://www.rush.edu/webapps/MEDREL/servlet/NewsRelease?id=700
Baktos,
Rahman, Wassenaar/NL
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