Fruit & Veggies & Omega 3’s: Can they Protect Us from Alzheimer’s Disease?

Study: Dr. Gene Bowman and his colleagues studied 104 healthy, well-educated non-smokers without memory or thinking problems, reports a recent Medical News Today article [: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239762.php]. In this study reported in Neurology online on December 28, 2011, the researchers studied nutritional markers in the participants’ blood. Each person underwent memory and cognitive testing and 47 people also had MRI scans to quantify their brain matter.

The participants who had higher levels of omega three fatty acids and vitamin b, d, e and c in their blood usually performed better on the mental ability exams than people with low levels of these same nutrients. High levels of omega 3 fatty acids were also not as likely to have brain shrinkage show up on their MRIs; this usually age-associated shrinkage of grey matter in the brain is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. On the flip side, participants who showed high levels of trans fats — those bad-for-you fats that clog arteries — often showed more brain shrinkage on MRIs and didn’t do as well on those same mental agility tests.

Commentary: First of all, this is an observational study. Imagine you study cars in a parking lot, noticing there are 6 yellow cars. You interview the yellow car owners, learning they all eat bananas for breakfast and jog in the winter. These findings may not be the reason these six people drive yellow cars; there may be other factors you are not taking into account. Likewise, just because the participants have higher levels of vitamins, b, d, c and e and omega 3 fats in their blood, it doesn’t mean that these higher levels protect them from Alzheimer’s disease. Studies like these get a lot of press but doctors are not as willing to buy into the results. Medical professionals are more likely to look for advice from the results of double-blind placebo controlled trials. As fascinating and appealing as this study on Alzheimer’s disease and nutrition is, we need to look at it with a big grain of salt.

Secondly, though, there are good physiologic reasons for why these results could have some medical merit. From previous data, we know omega 3 fats help development in children, and that these nutrients are also essential to a fetus’ growing nervous system. Previous studies have shown vitamins c, d and e can protect nerve cells from oxidant damage. And we know for a fact that trans fats have so many negative effects. This observational study makes sense logically based on already completed double-blind placebo controlled trials that link poor eating to other problems in the human body.

Lastly, there is not a lot of risk in eating a diet high in omega 3 fats and vitamins b, d, c and e. Eliminating trans fat in your diet is also an excellent idea. Following the findings of this study is a good thing. We already know we should eat 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day; a serving is 1 cup of solid fruits or vegetables, ½ cup of chopped fruits or vegetables or 1 medium sized fruit. Include two serving s a week of cold water fish. Remember the acronym SMASH to help you with this diet to-do item: salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring. We don’t know if eating this healthy diet will protect you from Alzheimer’s disease yet, but healthy eating habits aren’t wrong.