Grocery list: Fish, fish and especially, fatty fish
I've told my patients—and you—for more years than I can count to eat fatty fish for essential omega-3s—especially if you want to stave off Alzheimer's disease.
And now research has pinpointed the ingredients in that fish oil responsible for delaying—or keeping at bay altogether—this memory thief. There's a particular fatty acid in the omega-3 called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). What this longed- named fatty acid does is increase the production of a protein called LR11.
I guess when you get down to the molecular level, it's all big names or little acronyms, but please bear with me.
This protein, LR11, has been found at low levels in Alzheimer's patients. It has been shown to destroy the poster-child-protein of Alzheimer's, beta-amyloid plaque, fingered as responsible for the brain deterioration characteristic of the disease. Evidently, having a high level of LR11 stops amyloid plaques from forming in the first place.
To run their tests, researchers used fish oil through diet, and also tried adding the oil directly to lab-grown neurons.
As it turns out, you don't have to fill your entire grocery cart with fish.
According to research results, LR11 levels could be increased in lab animals just by using low doses of DHA (the fatty acid). Also, DHA from food sources had the same effect in increasing LR11 levels—even with lab animals genetically manipulated to get Alzheimer's.
They also tested neuron cells of humans, as well, and found the same increase in LL11 levels.
Future research is planned to see if there is any benefit in increasing intake of DHA in the hopes of increasing LR11, and possibly aiding those who are in the earliest stages of the disease.
Your brain holds an enormous amount of this fatty acid. DHA can't be made by your body—you've got to get this fatty acid from the tip of your fork.
To help you avoid Alzheimer's, I suggest you add fatty fish to your diet, such as salmon, sardines, mackerel and herring. Disease projections make this a must- do. By the way, these same fish are also an important source of Vitamin D, which supports healthy bone and mood. It also strengthens muscles, making you less liable to fall. If you live to the year 2050, you may be one of the 11 to 16 million people afflicted with this disease. But you don't have to live that long to be counted among the ever-swelling numbers of new cases as the statistics work their way into those double-digits.
