In a new look at six years of data on 3,718 people ages 65 and older, Morris found that those who ate fish at least once a week had a 10% to 13% slower rate of cognitive decline over the course of the study. "That's like being three to four years younger," she says.
Surprisingly, omega-3 fat--abundant in salmon and sardines and shown in other research to cut Alzheimer's risk--did not account for these benefits. In this study, all kinds of seafood, including freshwater fish and shellfish, slowed cognitive decline.
A possibility: Something in seafood besides omega-3 protects the brain against milder age-related decline.
Copyright 2004 Jean Carper. Printed first in USA Weekend. All rights reserved.
For more information from Jean Carper, go to www.jeancarper.com
What's this?