Omega-3 Fatty Acid Reduces Amyloid Buildup

Researchers studying Alzheimer's disease have found that enriching the diet with the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexenoic acid (DHA) significantly reduced amyloid plaque buildup.

Investigators at the University of California, Los Angeles (USA) worked with a mouse model genetically engineered to develop symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Aged animals (17-19 months old) were placed in one of three groups, which until 22.5 months received food enriched with different levels of DHA: controls (0.09% DHA), low-DHA group (0%), or high-DHA group (0.6%).


When the animals reached 22.5 months of age, their brains were scanned for image analysis, and then an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the amount of DHA in the detergent-insoluble extract of cortical homogenates. Results published in the March 23, 2005, issue of the Journal of Neuroscience revealed that DHA-enriched diets significantly reduced total amyloid protein by more than 70% when compared with low-DHA or control chow diets. Image analysis of brain sections with an antibody against amyloid protein (amino acids 1-13) showed that overall plaque burden was significantly reduced by 40.3%, with the largest reductions (40-50%) in the hippocampus and parietal cortex.

These results suggest that dietary DHA, such as fish oil, could be protective against beta-amyloid production, accumulation, and potential downstream toxicity. "The good news from this study is that we can buy the therapy at a supermarket or drug store,” said senior author Dr. Greg M. Cole, professor of neurosciences at the University of California, Los Angeles. "DHA has a tremendous safety profile--essentially no side effects--and clinical trial evidence supports giving DHA supplements to people at risk for cardiovascular disease.”



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