Omega-3 supplements may be linked to faster cognitive decline in seniors, study finds

Medical Xpress ^ | May 04, 2026 | Paul Arnold,

[Uncle Miltie]

Only one third of people who smoke die of it!

[LadyDoc]

cause or effect? Those suspecting they have problems are more likely to take the supplement, so it’s not a good study.

[Bob434]

I was taking 30 mg of Prevacid which worked very well- had ot take for bleeding ulcers which dern near done me in- anyway- insurance quit paying and demanded i be given omeprazol instead- they put me on 20 mg. long story short- just got out of hospital recently for duodenal ulcer that had me doubled over in pain for almost 2 weeks- couldn’t stand it anymore- and went in- they put me on 40 mg, 1 pill twice a day mornin night- so far it ‘seems to be’ working, but we’ll see-

[2nd Amendment]

Under doctors direction I’ve been taking omega 3 for 4 years. No cognitive decline noted. It has stuned my beeber however

[TheThirdRuffian]

Yeah, I don’t buy this.

It’s an observational study, for one. Sample bias strikes me as an obvious issue.

Second, what is the composition of the omega3? If not DHA heavy, I have doubts.

[sauropod]

Review

[Red Badger]

Our brains are mostly fat............

[SisterK]

Best way to get it is dietary.

absolutely
no pills

[TTFX]

Fish fat has a disgusting smell. That’s all you need to know to realize you should avoid it.

Fish liver oil was the only source of vitamin d in some places. That might have confused some and let them to believe that the fat was good.

[TTFX]

I also take a load of supplements but I’m not kidding myself that any of it will make me healthier or make me live longer.

- - - - - - -

Foods have enough retinol. If you take it from supplements, it accumulates and causes problems, for example, bone problems.

[AppyPappy]

the best I can do is smoked salmon in cream cheese on bagel chips.

[who knows what evil?]

Wash that krill and astaxanthin down with a cup of fresh ground and brewed coffee...mmmmmm, good!

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

So that’s why my dog licks his balls.

[Tommy Revolts]

Chinook or Coho.

[Alas Babylon!]

Question for you, ConservativeMind...

You know a lot about medicine. Do you believe this post?

Would stop taking Omega-3 because of this study?

[ConservativeMind]

I did do some research a couple months back on optimizing Omega-3 fats, and later a study came out around traumatic brain injury and Omega-3s. Do understand Omega-3 fats that “matter” are EPA and DHA. ALA is another, but it is not as useful and 15% gets converted to EPA and DHA.

There were no consequential issues with EPA or DHA until a brain injury occurred. Then, it was found EPA confused the ability of the brain's vascular system to properly heal, leaving cells a bit dysfunctional. DHA was seen as beneficial and truly helping in damage repair. In supplements, we usually get fairly more EPA than DHA. In our bodies, we can convert EPA to DHA, though, but it might be that processes to do that break down a bit, as we age.

Also, we don't pass much DHA or EPA into our brains, yet, our brains really need them. Processes to guide EPA and DHA into the brain can break down. People with the APOE4 gene (about 25% of the population) have this and they specifically do have transport mechanisms that break down early (late 20s).

There are specific ways to get these fats into the brain again. Plasmalogens and lysophosphatidylcholine bound to DHA and EPA get the fats there, through different mechanisms. My wife and I recently started taking these, a few months back. Specifically, they are a supplement with Hokkaido scallop oil plasmalogen and another with Lysoveta brand lysophosphatidylcholine.

We still take a teaspoon of Omega-3 fats on days we don't eat salmon or such, but we are taking the gel caps of the two supplements mentioned above, every day.

If trying to just optimize normal Omega-3 fat, I would favor getting more DHA and just some EPA, if not eating salmon or sardines.

[thepoodlebites]

The study examined cognitive and brain imaging changes over five years.
The results revealed, a more rapid decline across the three primary cognitive assessments each person completed during the study.
The team points out that their results are not conclusive. This was an observational study, not a clinical trial.
—
1. What was the source of the supplements? Some supplements are garbage. Others, like Andrew Lessman, are excellent.
2. How are the imaging changes linked to the cognitive test results?
3. No significance tests? Here, the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis (that Omega-3 supplements benefit the brain) is >> 5%.
Conclusions: the methods and results of this study are suspect.

[Jeff Chandler]

I hope you are getting enough protein. There are supplements such as PreProtein which provide 15 grams of protein in a one ounce dose. Fairlife protein shakes are also lactose-free, and the chocolate variety is delicious.

Good luck to you.

[Alas Babylon!]

Thanks!

Just wonder what Hokkaido scallops have that others don't have?

This is the only supplement with that in it I could find (Amazon):

It's 50 dollars for 30 gels!

[ConservativeMind]

I got them three at one time, using a promotion, and with the Subscribe and Save discount, for $107.

So, around $33 a bottle. We’ve taken these several months.

I will say the Lysoveta is newer and uses a different mechanism to get DHA and EPA into the brain and eyes. I believe both are useful approaches, but the Lysoveta (Accentrate Omega Max) at 1-3 capsules a day will likely be a cheaper way to get Omega-3 fats in the brain. We got this on a promo, but it was ultimately cheaper to get directly from Accentrate on a subscription.

Do note plasmalogens directly get incorporated into neuronal membranes, while The Lysoveta approach seems to get the stuff there for other processes to utilize. It seems likely the brain and eye activity differs between the supplements.

More on the Lysoveta approach, here: https://lysoveta.com/science/explore