In the United States, almost twenty percent of people aged between 75-84 years old suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Recent studies around the globe have shown that fish oil supplement can help combat this form of dementia.
Alzheimer’s eat away little by little all the memories of an old person. It disables him to learn, reason out, or make decisions over time. With these faculties impaired, a person with Alzheimer’s will have the tendency to be anxious, suspicious, agitated, or be delusional.
Many studies have shown that people who has significant intake of fish oil or take fish oil supplement are at a lower risk to have Alzheimer’s later in life. Experts are still exploring the details as to how fish oil supplement lowers the risk but it is thought to be the omega 3 found within the oils that helps in the nourishment of nerve cell membranes especially at the links where these cells unite.
The brain is primarily composed of DHA or Docosahexaenoic acid, a form of omega 3 fatty acid. People with dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s, have low levels of DHA which logically is addressed by DHA nutritional therapy thru fish oil supplement.
A recent research study concluded that omega 3 in fish oil supplement helps in forming links between the nerve cells thereby forming a thick neuron forest which basically is the highway for all the brain processes including reasoning, memory, control of emotion, and creativity.
Fish oil supplement has a good track record in helping people with depression, anxiety, and bipolar syndromes. Children with learning disabilities and attention problems have also gained a lot when given fish oil supplement.
People with Alzheimer’s may go through different stages:
- Mild Cognitive – patient forgets the names of his family members, or trivial things like where his eyeglasses are.
- Moderate Cognitive - recent occasions maybe forgotten. Patient may also face problems handling complex tasks. He may also have decreased memory about his life.
- Moderate Severe- a patient may need assistance to do activities of daily living.
- Severe cognitive- at this stage the brain has shrunk significantly and the patient is unable to communicate and care for themselves.
People with Alzheimer’s disease are usually given a high omega 3 diet which includes fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel. Plant oils are also good sources of essential fatty acids which help the brain. Fish oil supplement further boosts the dietary requirement for omega 3. Alzheimer’s like any other disease is best treated by prevention.
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