Omega-3 fatty acids' supplementation in Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review
Canhada S, Castro K, Perry IS, Luft VC
Nutritional neuroscience · 96 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
- Systematic review (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2017-05-03 · Nutr Neurosci · vol. 21 · issue 8 · pp. 529–538
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Cited
- 158 citations · more than 92% of similar papers · 1.4× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 35 works
- Access
- Paywalled
- Research areas
- Fatty Acid Research and Health · Nutritional Studies and Diet · Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Studies
- Keywords
- Disease, Medicine, Alzheimer's disease, Neuroscience, Internal medicine, Psychology
- MeSH
- animals, fishes, humans, alzheimer disease, fatty acids, omega-3, fish oils, neuroprotective agents, nootropic agents, anti-inflammatory agents, non-steroidal, severity of illness index, reproducibility of results, patient compliance, cognition, evidence-based medicine, dietary supplements, seafood, controlled clinical trials as topic, diet, healthy
4 authors
From BR
- Scheine Canhada · correspondingUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
- Kamila CastroUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre
- Ingrid Schweigert PerryUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre; Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense
- Vivian Cristine LuftUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre
Abstract
Introduction
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration disorder characterized by progressive impairments of memory, language, reasoning, and other cognitive functions. Evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acids may act as a possible protection factor in AD.
Objective
To evaluate the results available in the literature involving omega-3 fatty acids supplementation and its effect on cognitive function in AD patients.
Methods
A systematic review of MEDLINE (from PubMed), Excerpta Medica Database, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Inclusion criteria consisted in original intervention studies, controlled by placebo, that assessed the impact of supplementation or dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids on cognitive function, in humans with AD, without limitation for prime date of publication.
Results
Initial search resulted in 361 articles. Seven studies fully met the inclusion criteria. Most studies did not find statistically significant results for the omega-3 fatty acids supplementation compared to placebo, and those who show some benefit do it only in a few cognitive assessment scales. However, the effects of omega-3 fatty acids appear to be most effectively demonstrated in patients with very mild AD.
Conclusion
The effects of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation in mild AD corroborate epidemiological observational studies showing that omega-3 fatty acids may be beneficial in disease onset, when there is slight impairment of brain function. Although some studies have shown changes in scales of cognitive function in more severe cases, they are not enough to support omega-3 fatty acids supplementation in the treatment of AD.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
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