Fish and Alzheimer's

A new study has shown that eating fish once a week can lead to a healthier brain and a decrease in Alzheimer's disease. In this study, people who ate baked or broiled fish at least once a week showed increased gray matter in the brain. The areas that showed increased brain matter were shown to have been involved the part of the brain associated with memory and learning. It has been shown that people with larger volumes of gray matter in the areas of memory and learning has been shown to have a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Although the baked or broiled fish showed an increase in the gray matter people who ate fried fish had no increase in the gray matter; therefore not decreasing the risk of developing Alzheimer's. The study used magnetic resource imaging, or MRI, to scan the brains ten years after a group of people were surveyed about their weekly fish consumption. In the results, people with greater volumes of gray matter in the hippocampus, posterior cingulated, and orbital frontal cortex were less likely to have Alzheimer's disease. Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, which improve blood flow to the brain, and delivers more oxygen and nutrients to brain cells. Omega-3s can also reduce inflammation in the brain caused by amyloid plaque buildup, a possible cause of Alzheimer's disease. Although more research is needed to validate the results, it is a good start to something that can influence the development of Alzheimer's disease.

I find this topic very interesting and important for future research in brain diseases. If diet could be found to play a role in the decrease of the development of Alzheimer's disease, it could be a simple fix to a very common disease. Although the research has yet to be validated this is a start in the right direction to finding new breakthroughs.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45491605/ns/health-aging/