The study has been featured for the first time in the Journal of the American Medical Association on August 25. It is the second in a month that questions the effectiveness of omega-3 acids as part of dementia treatment.
Despite the general conception of the medical community, fish oil supplements high in omega-3 fatty acids, do not slow down mental decline, a new study has shown. Detailed researches suggest that a daily consumption of fish is commonly associated with lower percentage of age-related macular decline, dementia and cardiovascular disease.
The 4,000 participants of the study had still shown signs of cognitive decline over a course of 2 years. The main reason is thought to be that there differences between the molecular structure of fish oil found in actual fish and that of the oils that are being concentrated in supplements. The study will have to be applied to a wider population in order to confirm that omega-3 supplements found in pills do not slow mental decline for the elderly.
The team gave the volunteers memory and attention tests, to have a better outlook of their mental decline. The tests were also assigned to the participants four years after the study took place. After the volunteers have carried out a certain number of tests in the trial, they were assigned to take either placebo pills or pill with omega-3 fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid.
No notable effects regarding omega-3 supplement’s benefits for the cognitive activity were shown upon analyzing the resulted statistics. However, the study certified that a daily dose of certain antioxidants and minerals can indeed help slow down the process of late-stage age-related macular decline. This recent study is one of the first to come out on omega-3 fatty acids, the next ones will involve younger participants in order to analyze its effects on a wider scale.
Although the labels of omega-3 fatty acids products tend to claim that their supplements will boost your brain functions, the statements appear not to be based on any actual evidence.
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