Posted on 01/02/2008 6:32:19 PM PST by ConservativeMind
It's good news that we are living longer, but bad news that the longer we live, the better our odds of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
Many Alzheimer's researchers have long touted fish oil, by pill or diet, as an accessible and inexpensive "weapon" that may delay or prevent this debilitating disease. Now, UCLA scientists have confirmed that fish oil is indeed a deterrent against Alzheimer's, and they have identified the reasons why.
Greg Cole, professor of medicine and neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and associate director of UCLA's Alzheimer Disease Research Center, and his colleagues report that the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) found in fish oil increases the production of LR11, a protein that is found at reduced levels in Alzheimer's patients and which is known to destroy the protein that forms the "plaques" associated with the disease.
The plaques are deposits of a protein called beta amyloid that is thought to be toxic to neurons in the brain, leading to Alzheimer's. Since having high levels of LR11 prevents the toxic plaques from being made, low levels in patients are believed to be a factor in causing the disease.
Alzheimer's is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease that causes memory loss, dementia, personality change and ultimately death. The national Alzheimer's Association estimates that 5.1 million Americans are currently afflicted with the disease and predicts that the number may increase to between 11 million and 16 million people by the year 2050.
The researchers examined the effects of fish oil, or its component DHA, in multiple biological systems and administered the oil or fatty acid by diet and by adding it directly to neurons grown in the laboratory.
"We found that even low doses of DHA increased the levels of LR11 in rat neurons, while dietary DHA increased LR11 in brains of rats or older mice that had been genetically altered to develop Alzheimer's disease," said Cole, who is also associate director of the Geriatric Research Center at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
To show that the benefits of DHA were not limited to nonhuman animal cells, the researchers also confirmed a direct impact of DHA on human neuronal cells in culture as well. Thus, high levels of DHA leading to abundant LR11 seem to protect against Alzheimer's, Cole said, while low LR11 levels lead to formation of the amyloid plaques.
Fish oil and its key ingredient, omega-3 fatty acids (found in fatty fish like salmon), have been a mainstay of alternative health practitioners for years and have been endorsed by the American Heart Association to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Fatty acids like DHA are considered "essential" fatty acids because the body cannot make them from other sources and must obtain them through diet. Years of research have shown that DHA is the most abundant essential fatty acid in the brain, Cole said, and that it is critical to fetal and infant brain development. Studies have also linked low levels of DHA in the brain to cognitive impairment and have shown that lower levels may increase oxidative stress in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
Based on the positive results, the National Institutes of Health is currently conducting a large-scale clinical trial with DHA in patients with established Alzheimer's disease. For those patients, Cole said, it may be too late in the disease's progression for DHA to have much effect. But he is hopeful that the NIH will conduct a large-scale prevention clinical trial using fish oil at the earliest stages of the disease -- particularly because it is unlikely that a pharmaceutical company will do so, since fish oil in pill form is readily available and inexpensive.
Still to be determined, he said, "is what the optimal dose should be. It could be that a smaller amount might be helpful, especially in a place like the south of France, where people are already on a Mediterranean diet."
Here in the United States, though, where fish consumption is not very high, the dose may need to be higher.
"There's a deficiency of DHA to begin with," Cole said, "and this may contribute to the low LR11 seen in many Alzheimer's patients."
This research is reported in the Journal of Neuroscience, now online. In addition to Cole, authors included Qui-Lan Ma, Bruce Teter, Oliver J. Ubede, Takashi Morihara, Dilsher Dhoot, Michael D. Nyby, Michael L. Tuck and Sally A. Frautschy, all of UCLA.
Funding for the research was provided by a grant from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The research was initiated with support from the National Institute on Aging.
Adapted from materials provided by University of California - Los Angeles.
There are many benefits accruing to DHA and EPA Omega-3s.
I saw the Omega - 13 on Galaxy Quest. Worked great.
A little levity folks. Happy New Year.
Bump that.
bump
I should think cod liver oil pills would do the trick.
This article doesn’t say how much omega 3 fatty oil is indicated.
Cod liver oil is also a useful source of Vitamin D, which is important especially in winter when people don’t get much sun.
So was grandma and the cod-liver oil right all along?
The following chart contains a sampling of foods high in DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids (combined):
Foods High in DHA and EPA (Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids) Food Grams in 100-gram
serving Grams in normal-sized
serving
Sardine oil 20.79 2.83 (1 tablespoon)
Cod liver oil 17.87 2.43 (1 tablespoon)
Herring oil 10.48 1.43 (1 tablespoon)
Salmon, Atlantic (farmed)* 2.15 3.89 (half fillet)
Mackerel, Pacific and jack* 1.85 3.25 (1 fillet)
Pickled herring 1.39 .42 (2 pieces)
Salmon, Chinook* 1.74 2.68 (half fillet)
Salmon, pink* 1.28 1.6 (half fillet)
Mackerel, Atlantic* 1.20 1.07 (1 fillet)
Rainbow trout (farmed)* 1.15 .82 (1 fillet)
Bluefish* .99 1.16 (1 fillet)
Sardines, canned in oil .98 .90 (1 can, 92 grams)
White tuna, canned in water .86 .73 (3 ounces, 85 grams)
*Cooked with dry heat
Note: DHA stands for docosahexaenoic acid. EPA stands for eicosapentaeonic acid. Both are derivatives of alpha-linolenic acid or ALA, which is an omega-3 fatty acid.
Source: National Agriculture Library, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
Omega-6 Fatty Acids: Time To Switch Cooking Oils?
Omega-6 essential fatty acids include linoleic acid (LA), gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and arachidonic acid (AA). LA is found in common cooking oils, including sunflower oil, corn oil, canola oil, and safflower oil. GLA is found in some seeds, and AA is present in meat and animal products.
The following chart lists several foods that have high levels of omega-6 fatty acids:
Foods High in Omega-6 Fatty Acids Food Grams in 100-gram
serving Grams in normal-sized
serving
Sunflower oil, linoleic
(60% and over) 65.70 8.94 (1 tablespoon)
Corn oil 58.00 7.89 (1 tablespoon)
Sunflower oil, linoleic
(less than 60%) 39.80 5.41 (1 tablespoon)
Sunflower seeds, oil roasted 37.82 25.53 (half cup)
Sunflower oil, linoleic
(hydrogenated) 35.30 4.80 (1 tablespoon)
Sunflower seeds, dry roasted 32.78 20.98 (half cup)
Canola oil 20.30 2.84 (1 tablespoon)
Peanuts 15.56 11.36 (half cup)
Safflower oil 14.35 1.95 (1 tablespoon)
Almonds, unblanched 12.21 8.67 (half cup)
Pumpkin seeds 8.76 2.80 (half cup)
Olive oil 7.90 1.07 (1 tablespoon)
Source: National Agriculture Library, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
Grandma always said fish was brain food. (Grandma went 1 for 3 at spawning geniuses.)
My mother in law, is stage 5 to stage 6 in her Alzheimers. I’ll tell you that Salmon was her favorite dish, ate alot of fish actually. I’m sure there are some outliers, as with everything, but just suprising given the situation.
That being said, I still may go out and get some fish oil for myself and the wife, though.
Hmm I switched from corn to canola but I think I’ll switch back again. Corn oil tastes a little better I think.
Well, it certainly won’t hurt you.
As time goes on we find that grandma was right about a lot of stuff.
I should bookmark this item otherwise I’ll forget all about it tomorrow. :)
http://www.nyseafood.org/nutrition/health2.asp
Given the hsitory of a lot of these studies, we will find out that these oils have nothing to do with a ‘cure’ or delay. Based on the historical record of a lot of studies it’s even possible to predict that at some future date they may report that the oils are a contributing factor.
Krill oil is excellent.
NAH....I think cod liver oil pre-dates EVERYTHING. P.S. Everyone.....Take Carlson’s Lemon Flavored Cod Liver oil....it’s the best!
Or, as my Grandma used to say, "Why is common sense so uncommon?"
“Hmm I switched from corn to canola but I think I’ll switch back again. Corn oil tastes a little better I think.”
Vegetable based high temp extracted oils are the worst. Cold pressed Olive oil and for high temp frying coconut oil are much MUCH healther for you.
When will they stop working on this crap, and develop a vaccine that keeps men from wanting to listen to Barbra Streisand records?
Seems related to the subject from here.
I think milled flax seed is pretty high up there, too. Not bad on cereal or oatmeal.
I don’t know what you’ve been reading....
“Here are just a few facts everyone should know before buying anything containing canola. Canola is not the name of a natural plant, but a made-up word, from “Canada” and “oil”. Canola is a genetically engineered plant developed in Canada from the rapeseed plant, which is part of the mustard family. According to AgriAlternatives, The Online Innovation, and Technology Magazine for Farmers, “By nature, these rapeseed oils, which have long been used to produce oils for industrial purposes, are...toxic to humans and other animals”. (This, by the way, is one of the websites singing the praises of the new canola industry.)
Rapeseed oil is poisonous to living things and is an excellent insect repellent. I have been using it (in very diluted form, as per instructions) to kill the aphids on my roses for the last two years. It works very well; it suffocates them. Ask for it at your nursery. Rape is an oil that is used as a lubricant, fuel, soap and synthetic rubber base and as an illuminate for color pages in magazines. It is an industrial oil. It is not a food. Rape oil, it seems, causes emphysema, respiratory distress, anemia, constipation, irritability, and blindness in animals and humans. Rape oil was widely used in animal feeds in England and Europe between 1986 and 1991, when it was thrown out. Remember the “Mad Cow Disease” scare, when millions of cattle in the UK were slaughtered in case of infection to humans? Cattle were being fed on a mixture containing material from dead sheep, and sheep suffer from a disease called “scrapie”. It was thought this was how “Mad Cow” began and started to infiltrate the human chain. What is interesting is that when rape oil was removed from animal feed, ‘scrapie’ disappeared. We also haven’t seen any further reports of “Mad Cow” since rape oil was removed from the feed. Perhaps not scientifically proven, but interesting all the same. US and Canadian farmers grow genetically engineered rapeseed and manufacturers use its oil (canola) in thousands of processed foods, with the blessings of Canadian and US government watchdog agencies. The canola supporting websites say that canola is safe to use. They admit it was developed from the rapeseed, but insist that through genetic engineering it is no longer rapeseed, but “canola” instead.”
Alzheimer’s runs in my husband’s family. For several years now he’s been eating plenty of canned sardines, herring, etc. as well as taking fish oil capsules. It certainly can’t hurt, and might help. It has occurred to me that the only one of his father’s siblings who lived to old age and remained cogntively sharp was a lifelong fisherman. Maybe the fish consumption helped, who knows? (I’m glad my 87 year old Dad is a committed fisherman as well. He and Mom remain sharp as ever.)
You may be right, it does go back a long ways doesn’t it? I had not considered that aspect.
How about Cod Liver Oil??
BLECH!!!!!
ping for tomorrow
Also I try to eat fish as often as possible (that are not product of China). I don't want to become a Democrat when I get old.
Evening primrose oil, black currant oil, and borage oil are the only real sources of the most beneficial Omega-6 oil, and you can’t cook with them or you destroy their benefit.
LA and AA are pro-imflammatory oils that are helping to cause the problem that Omega-3s reduce.
Most cod liver oils now try to pre-process it to reduce the vitamin A levels to more acceptable levels.
Everything you said is either urban legend, internet hucksterism, irrelevant because it applies equally to many other commonly used oils, logically fallacious, or without scientific or medical merit. The rapeseed plants used now produce almost entirely oleic, not erusic, acid. The plants were engineered through crossbreeding, not through “genetic engineering,” not that there’s anything wrong with that. The fact that something is used in industry tells us nothing about whether it is or is not harmful for human consumption. To claim otherwise is like saying that you shouldn’t use a brush on your teeth because brushes are used to apply highly dangerous substances in construction or because brushes are part of some electric motors and electricity in your mouth could kill you. It was called canola oil because of negative connotations of the word “rape.”
bump
Unless the anti-vitamin Nazis succeed in banning supplements or making them prescription-only.
Where would one purchase this?Thanks.
At this time of year I lean more toward 5W30.
You install a simple program on your system to use instead of your screen saver. Its safe and simple, and runs on Macs, PCs and Playstation 3s.
Latest thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1943289/posts
Please feel free to ping me and ask questions.
“Given the hsitory of a lot of these studies, we will find out that these oils have nothing to do with a ‘cure’ or delay. “
Cite your evidence.
I buy it online through Mercola.com.....by the case....it’s cheaper, even with the shipping than buying retail around here. But, you can usually find it in a good health food store, too.
“Here are just a few facts everyone should know before buying anything containing canola....”
Total baloney.
Cod liver oil can give you an overdose of vitamin A and an inbalance of D.Too much A can be dangerous since it is fat soluble and the excess is not expelled from the body.
You’d have to take a lot....I take 2 Tbsp per day of cod liver oil, plus, 2000iu of Vit D in winter.....but, then, I don’t live in Texas, where there is sun!
Great news if true.
I realize that since I made the assertion, the burden rests with me to prove/defend my case, but I don't have the evidence at my fingertips, and I'm not going to bother, with a couple of exceptions.
In the last week or so there was news release regarding the polyunsaturated oils, and the good/bad cholesterol (I think that's what is was- it's all junk science so I don't pay too much attention) that refuted all the stuff we had been told for the last 10 or twenty years. I remember thinking 'yeah, you spoiled our French-fries ya bastards, and now you tell us it didn't need to be'.
Oh yes, I didn't believe the crap about oat bran either. Or the eggs. I'm sure someone else will jump in too, as there are dozens and dozens of such cases.
If you want to jump on evey latest fad be my guest. It's most junk science though.
Yeah, that's what they said about the DDT ban too.
I only use the corn/canola for frying. For salad I use olive oil.
Eating fish certainly won’t hurt you and I don’t see how that compares with a chemical ban??
bfl
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