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Research conducted at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine suggests that higher intake of specific nutrients is associated with lower brain iron concentration and better cognitive performance in older adults. The study was recently published in the Neurobiology of Aging and highlights the important balance of non-heme iron for optimal neuronal function. Excess non-heme brain iron has been associated with neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. High levels of brain iron can also be seen in normal aging, where they have been correlated with poor cognitive performance. A key question is whether age-related increases in brain...

A receptor activated by substances formed from omega-3 fatty acids plays a vital role in preventing inflammation in blood vessels and reducing atherosclerosis, a new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden reports. The discovery can pave the way for new strategies for treating and preventing cardiovascular disease using omega-3 fatty acids. Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death globally and a serious public health problem. Atherosclerosis is associated with chronic inflammation in the blood vessels. Inflammation is normally controlled by stop signals called resolvins, which switch off the inflammation and stimulate tissue healing and repair through a process...

Four weeks on a diet of highly processed food led to a strong inflammatory response in the brains of aging rats that was accompanied by behavioral signs of memory loss, a new study has found. Researchers also found that supplementing the processed diet with the omega-3 fatty acid DHA prevented memory problems and reduced the inflammatory effects almost entirely in older rats. Neuroinflammation and cognitive problems were not detected in young adult rats that ate the processed diet. The study diet mimicked ready-to-eat human foods that are often packaged for long shelf lives, such as potato chips and other snacks,...

Researchers have found that omega-3 levels in blood erythrocytes are very good mortality risk predictors. The study used data from a long-term study group, the Framingham Offspring Cohort, which has been monitoring residents of this Massachusetts town, in the United States, since 1971 and concludes that, 'Having higher levels of these acids in the blood, as a result of regularly including oily fish in the diet, increases life expectancy by almost five years.' Researchers have found that omega-3 levels in blood erythrocytes (the so-called red blood cells) are very good mortality risk predictors. The study concludes that "Having higher levels...

3D tumors that disintegrate within a few days thanks to the action of a well-known omega-3 (DHA, found mainly in fish) -- this is a promising discovery. Hungry for fatty acids, tumor cells in acidosis gorge themselves on DHA but are unable to store it correctly and literally poison themselves. The result? They die. …the team quickly identified that these acidotic tumour cells responded in diametrically opposite ways depending on the fatty acid they were absorbing. Within a few weeks, the results were both impressive and surprising. "We soon found that certain fatty acids stimulated the tumour cells while others...

Doctors often recommend Omega-3s to help patients lower their cholesterol and improve heart health. Those Omega-3s can come from fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, or supplements that often contain a combination of the acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Now, new research from the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute in Salt Lake City finds that higher EPA blood levels alone lowered the risk of major cardiac events and death in patients, while DHA blunted the cardiovascular benefits of EPA. Higher DHA levels at any level of EPA, worsened health outcomes. Results of the Intermountain study, which examined nearly...

Anyone in the mood for salmon? A new study finds higher omega-3 levels in the bloodstream may reduce one’s risk of dying from a COVID-19 infection. Conducted by the Fatty Acid Research Institute in collaboration with Cedars-Sinai Medical Centers in Los Angeles and Orange County, these findings are the first to uncover direct evidence linking omega-3 fatty acids with improved coronavirus health outcomes. Numerous scientists had theorized that omega-3 fatty acids may be beneficial for COVID-19 patients, but all of that was ultimately conjecture at best. The new study involved blood samples taken from 100 COVID-19 patients taken to a...

Who knew that the decision to take a simple supplement like fish oil could be so complicated? Omega-3 fatty acids (the medical name for fish oil) may help decrease inflammation and decrease the risk of developing heart disease. At first, taking a supplement seems to be an easy decision. After all, why eat fish if you can get the active ingredients in a pill? Manufacturers tout the benefits relentlessly, but sometimes push so hard it seems as if they are trying to sell snake oil. Contrast that with studies suggesting that taking fish oil is worthless, or may cause harm....

Gourmands and foodies everywhere have long recognized ginger as a great way to add a little peppery zing to both sweet and savory dishes; now, a study from researchers at Columbia University shows purified components of the spicy root also may have properties that help asthma patients breathe more easily. Asthma is characterized by bronchoconstriction, a tightening of the bronchial tubes that carry air into and out of the lungs. Bronchodilating medications called beta-agonists (β-agonists) are among the most common types of asthma medications and work by relaxing the airway smooth muscle (ASM) tissues. This study looked at whether specific...

Dietary intake of two fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6, may have opposite effects on the severity of asthma in children and may also play opposite roles in modifying their response to indoor air pollution, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. In "Omega-3 and Omega-6 Intake Modifies Asthma Severity,” authors report that children with higher levels of omega-3 in their diets had less severe asthma and fewer symptoms in response to higher levels of indoor particulate air pollution. Conversely, children with higher levels of omega-6 in their diets...

A new study led by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers has found that leptin, a hormone that plays a key role in energy metabolism, fertility, and bone mass, also regulates airway diameter. The findings could explain why obese people are prone to asthma and suggest that body weight-associated asthma may be relieved with medications that inhibit signaling through the parasympathetic nervous system, which mediates leptin function. "Our study started with the clinical observation that both obesity and anorexia can lead to asthma," said Gerard Karsenty MD, PhD. "This led us to suspect that there must be a signal coming...

Scans of mummified Inuits from 16th-century Greenland revealed that the ancient hunters suffered from clogged-up arteries despite a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Atherosclerosis — the build-up of plaques of fat, cholesterol and calcium in one's arteries — is a leading cause of death today in the world's wealthier countries. While often seen as a product of modern lifestyles, evidence of the condition has been found in human remains dating back as far as around 4,000 BC. However, none of these examples enjoyed a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which has been suggested can help protect against plaque...

New research has shown for the first time that omega-3 in fish oil could "substantially and significantly" reduce the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis. According to the University of Bristol study, funded by Arthritis Research UK and published in the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, omega-3-rich diets fed to guinea pigs, which naturally develop osteoarthritis, reduced disease by 50 per cent compared to a standard diet. The research is a major step forward in showing that omega-3 fatty acids, either sourced from fish oil or flax oil, may help to slow down the progression of osteoarthritis, or even prevent it occurring,...

Heart attack patients who took high doses of fish oil supplements for six months showed improved heart function and less scarring, researchers report. It is not yet precisely known how the large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in these supplements might have helped the healing process, but the results are encouraging, said study senior author Dr. Raymond Kwong. He is director of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. In his study, 360 heart attack survivors were followed for six months. Half of them were given 4 grams of omega-3 fatty acid supplements daily for six...

Today, at least 10 percent of Americans regularly take fish oil supplements. But recent trials have failed to confirm that the pills prevent heart attacks or stroke. And now the story has an intriguing new twist. A study published on Thursday in the journal Science reported that the ancestors of the Inuit evolved unique genetic adaptations for metabolizing omega-3s and other fatty acids. Those gene variants had drastic effects on Inuit’s bodies, reducing their heights and weights.

Millions of older people are wasting their time and money taking fish oils supplements to boost brain power after a study showed they do not slow mental decline. Scientists who monitored the progress of 4,000 people over five years found no evidence that omega-3 capsules kept them any sharper witted as they aged. Other studies have associated regular fish consumption with lower rates of the eye condition age-related macular degeneration (AMD), heart disease, and dementia, as well as larger brain volumes. So it has been widely assumed that the omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish are behind the health boost....

Omega-3, a fatty acid found in oily fish, may prevent the onset of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders long after being consumed, according to a study released Tuesday. Up to seven years after taking omega-3 supplements for 12 weeks, young people at "ultra-high" risk were less likely to have suffered the debilitating condition than a control group given a placebo, reported the study. Schizophrenia is characterized by delusions and hallucinations, including hearing voices and seeing things that do not really exist. It typically emerges during adolescence or early adulthood, either abruptly or gradually. There is no cure. Current treatment focuses...

Healthy people taking vitamin D supplements are unlikely to see any significant impact when it comes to preventing broken bones or cardiovascular conditions, claims new research appearing in the latest edition of The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. According to the AFP news agency, the study authors reviewed more than 40 previous trials in order to determine whether or not use of these vitamin supplements achieved a benchmark of reducing the risk of heart attacks, strokes, cancer or bone fractures by at least 15 percent. “Previous research had seen a strong link between vitamin D deficiency and poor health in these...

Older women with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood had slightly less brain shrinkage than women with low fatty acid levels in a new study. The results may suggest that omega-3s protect the brain from the loss of volume that happens with normal aging and is seen more severely in people with dementia, the researchers say.

(AFP) – US scientists said Wednesday they have confirmed a surprising 2011 study that found a higher risk of prostate cancer among men who consume omega-3 fatty acids, raising new questions about the safety of supplements. The research in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported a 71 percent higher risk for dangerous high-grade prostate cancer among men who ate fatty fish or took fish-oil supplements, which are often touted for their anti-inflammatory properties. A large European study also found the same omega-3 and prostate cancer link.