The majority vitamins and the minerals are obtained through a healthy diet. From colorful fruits and vegetables to dark green leafy vegetables, plant-based foods are a great choice for improving your health. However, there is an “essential nutrient” found in fatty fish: omega 3. In addition, this nutrient may help reduce the risk of suffering from the crippling condition.
Nutritionist and researcher Dr. Pam Mason of the Information Service on Health and Food Supplements (HSIS) said, “Omega-3 fats are essential for brain function (as well as heart function and eye function). They play a role in brain function throughout life.
“minimizing cognitive impairment is a key focus for older women and omega 3 fats are an essential nutrient.
“Reduced omega-3 status is associated with reduced cognitive function in younger women, which could predispose women to cognitive decline in later life, as it provides a lower baseline from which health brain could decrease.
The bad news is that many women lack this brain-boosting nutrient.
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Latest HSIS report titled Dietary Disasters for Women at Seven Ages: How Nutritional Gaps Threaten Women’s Health Across the Lifecycle found omega-3 fatty acid intake to be lower than recommended in women of all ages .
Dr Mason added: “These findings are consistent with those found in the US National Dietary Survey showing that women’s intake of omega-3 fatty acids is lower than that of men.”
One reason behind this discrepancy could be that women eat smaller amounts of oily fishthe doctor suggested.
This type of fish, along with vegetable oils, walnuts and flaxseeds, represents the main source of fatty acids, according to Harvard Medical School.
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the National Health Service recommends eating a serving of oily fish a week. However, the health service also points out that most people do not consume this amount.
What are good food sources of omega 3?
In case you don’t know, oily fish include the following:
- Herring (swelling, smoked herring, hilsa)
- sardines
- Salmon
- sardines
- sprats
- Trout
- Mackerel.
If fish isn’t your thing, the doctor also suggested other sources of Omega 3.
She said: “Lean, red meat, seafood, eggs, and foods fortified with omega-3 fatty acids.
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“For people who want a vegan or vegetarian source of omega-3 fatty acids, seeds like flaxseed, hemp seeds, or chia seeds or nuts like walnuts contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).”
However, the expert warned that this type of omega 3 known as ALA needs to be converted in the body into EPA and DHA, the type found in oily fish.
Since this conversion is often “inefficient,” he also suggests combining plant foods with omega-3s supplements.
What does the research say?
A to studypublished in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that higher levels of omega 3 in the blood are associated with a lower risk of dementia Y Alzheimer disease.
In addition, lower levels of DHA have been linked to smaller brain size, “a sign of accelerated brain aging,” according to a to study in the journal Neurology.
Dr. Mason added: “An analysis of five large studies that followed a total of 23,688 older participants (88% women) for 3.9 to 9.1 years found slower rates of decline in memory and cognition with increased fish intake.”
Nevertheless, alzheimer society shares that “there is not very strong evidence that omega-3 itself is behind this benefit.”
The charity explains that it is likely that fish, as part of a healthy diet, could reduce the risk of cognitive decline, but “omega 3 is still out there”.
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