More on Fish Oil

Studies that don't show a significant positive effect from consuming fish or fish oil tend to get a lot more press than the studies showing a benefit. A study published online January 2013 in the journal Neurology first looked at the levels of omega-3 fatty acids (found in high amounts in fish oil) in the red blood cells of 1,111post-menopausal women. The also measured the women's brain volumes using MRI. 8 years later they re-evaluated the women and found that those with a higher level of omega-3 fatty acids in their red blood cells had a larger total normal brain volume and hippocampal volume (associated with memory) than women with lower levels. Normal aging does involve some brain shrinkage, and it is interesting that there is less shrinkage overall and in the area associated with memory with higher omega-3 levels.