Report: Omega-3 supplements don’t slow cognitive decline

NEW YORK — The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published results from a clinical trial that found that omega-3 supplements did not slow cognitive decline in older people. The National Institutes of Health tracked 4,000 patients over a five-year period. 

“Contrary to popular belief, we didn’t see any benefit of omega-3 supplements for stopping cognitive decline,” NIH’s Dr. Emily Chew said.

Chew led the Age-Related Eye Disease Study, which established that a daily formulation of certain antioxidants and minerals can help slow age-related macular degeneration, according to NIH.

But when omega-3 fatty acids were added to this formulation for a later study, called AREDS2, they did not make a difference.

All participants in this study had early or intermediate AMD, were 72 years old on average and 58% were female. They underwent cognitive function tests at intervals of two years, and cognition scores decreased over time.

Some research has examined the potential benefits of docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid, for Alzheimer’s disease. Studies in mice found that DHA reduces beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, but a clinical trial of DHA indicated no impact on people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, the NIH said.

“The AREDS2 data add to our efforts to understand the relationship between dietary components and Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline,” Lenore Launer, senior investigator at the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Science at the National Institute on Aging, said. “It may be, for example, that the timing of nutrients, or consuming them in a certain dietary pattern, has an impact. More research would be needed to see if dietary patterns or taking the supplements earlier in the development of diseases like Alzheimer’s would make a difference.”