Normally people’s brains shrink by about 5 percent every decade after the age of 40.
Eating fish can slow down the brain’s shrinkage with age, new research finds.
Normally people’s brains shrink by about 5 percent every decade after the age of 40.
One or two servings of baked or broiled fish per week, though, counteract the effects of air pollution, which is one factor that tends to shrink the brain faster.
Fish must be baked or broiled, though, as frying fish destroys the vital omega-3 fatty acids.
A previous study has found that people who eat baked or broiled fish have, on average, 4.3 percent larger brain volumes in the areas responsible for memory and 14 percent larger volumes in areas responsible for cognition.
Dr Ka He, the study’s first author, said:
“Fish are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and easy to add to the diet.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to fight inflammation and maintain brain structure in aging brains.
They have also been found to reduce brain damage caused by neurotoxins like lead and mercury.
So we explored if omega-3 fatty acids have a protective effect against another neurotoxin, the fine particulate matter found in air pollution.”
The study included 1,315 women who were asked about their diet, medical history and physical activity.
Brain scans showed that women with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids had higher brain volume.
In fact, the more fish they ate, the bigger were their brains.
An area of the brain critical for memory, the hippocampus, was also larger in those who ate more fish.
Dr He said:
“Our findings suggest that higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood from fish consumption may preserve brain volume as women age and possibly protect against the potential toxic effects of air pollution.
It’s important to note that our study only found an association between brain volume and eating fish.
It does not prove that eating fish preserves brain volume.
And since separate studies have found some species of fish may contain environmental toxins, it’s important to talk to a doctor about what types of fish to eat before adding more fish to your diet.”
The study was published in the journal Neurology (Chen et al., 2020).
