Impact of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation on Memory Functions in Healthy Older Adults
Külzow N, Witte AV, Kerti L, Grittner U, Schuchardt JP, Hahn A, Flöel A
Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 104 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Randomized controlled trial (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2016-03-30 · J Alzheimers Dis · vol. 51 · issue 3 · pp. 713–725
- Publisher
- IOS Press
- Cited
- 141 citations · more than 99% of similar papers · 10.2× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 64 works
- Access
- Paywalled
- Research areas
- Fatty Acid Research and Health · Biochemical effects in animals · Diet and metabolism studies
- Keywords
- Omega, Omega 3 fatty acid, Gerontology, Fatty acid, Medicine, Internal medicine, Psychology, Physiology, Docosahexaenoic acid, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Polyunsaturated fatty acid, Philosophy
- MeSH
- humans, fatty acids, omega-3, apolipoproteins e, nootropic agents, blood chemical analysis, treatment outcome, double-blind method, feeding behavior, learning, memory, auditory perception, neuropsychological tests, dietary supplements, aged, middle aged, female, male, cognitive aging
7 authors
From DE
- Nadine Külzow · correspondingNeuroCure Cluster of Excellence; Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
- A. Veronica WitteMax Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
- Lucia KertiCenter for Stroke Research Berlin; Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
- Ulrike GrittnerCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
- Jan Philipp SchuchardtLeibniz University Hannover
- Andreas HahnLeibniz University Hannover
Abstract
As the process of Alzheimer's disease (AD) begins years before disease onset, searching for prevention strategies is of major medical and economic importance. Nutritional supplementation with long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (LC-n3-FA) may exert beneficial effects on brain structure and function. However, experimental evidence in older adults without clinical dementia is inconsistent, possibly due to low sensitivity of previously employed test batteries for detecting subtle improvements in cognition in healthy individuals. Here we used LOCATO, recently described as a robust and sensitive tool for assessing object-location memory (OLM) in older adults, to evaluate the impact of LC-n3-FA supplementation on learning and memory formation. In a double-blind placebo-controlled proof-of-concept study, 44 (20 female) cognitively healthy individuals aged 50-75 years received either LC-n3-FA (2,200 mg/day, n = 22) or placebo (n = 22) for 26 weeks. Before and after intervention, memory performance in the OLM-task (primary) was tested. As secondary outcome parameters, performance in Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), dietary habits, omega-3-index, and other blood-derived parameters were assessed. Omega-3 index increased significantly in the LC-n3-FA group compared with the placebo group. Moreover, recall of object locations was significantly better after LC-n3-FA supplementation compared with placebo. Performance in the AVLT was not significantly affected by LC-n3-FA. This double-blind placebo-controlled proof-of-concept study provides further experimental evidence that LC-n3-FA exert positive effects on memory functions in healthy older adults. Our findings suggest novel strategies to maintain cognitive functions into old age.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
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