The largest study of its kind involving over a quarter of a million people (267,000) from the UK Bio Bank, has reported 30 per cent less risk of dementia in those with a higher omega-3 status in their blood.[i]
One of the study authors, Professor Bill Harris from Stanford University’s Department of Medicine in South Dakota, says “There is now overwhelming evidence from no less than four studies this year, that increasing your intake and blood levels of omega-3 is strongly associated with reducing future dementia risk. Ideally a person wants to get their blood omega-3 index above 8%”.
Omega-3 – DHA & EPA
This UK study confirmed the results of a US study[ii] earlier this year that found a 49 per cent reduced risk for dementia in those with the highest omega-3 DHADHA is short for Docosahexaenoic Acid. It is an essential omega-3 fatty acid found in fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring, and is often… level (top fifth) in their red blood cells versus the lowest (bottom fifth). Oily fish and fish oil supplements contain two kinds of omega-3 fatThere are many different types of fats; polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, hydrogenated, saturated and trans fat. The body requires good fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated) in order to… called DHA and EPAEPA is short for Eicosapentaenoic Acid. It is an essential omega-3 fatty acid found in fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring, and is often…. DHA is the main fat found in brain cells of all animals.
What’s more a meta-analysis of 48 studies in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2023[iii] also concludes that ‘a moderate-to-high level of evidence suggested that dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acidsOmega-3 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids – they cannot be made within the body so must be obtained from the diet. EPA and… could lower risk of all-cause dementia or cognitive decline by about 20 per cent, especially for DHA intake’.
Each 100mg increment of DHA was associated with an 8–10 per cent lower risk of dementia.
But it also predicts the actual size of your brain. A recent study by psychologists at the Linda Loma University in California and published in the journal Brain Sciences[iv], reported that the higher a person’s omega-3 index was in their blood, the more white matter there was in their brain meaning they had more brain volume, and the better they performed on cognitive tests that predict less risk for dementia.
What Next? Upgrade your Brain AND Become a Citizen Scientist
Thanks to already well over 400,000 ‘citizen scientists we have, with the sword of digital technology, opened the oyster to uncover the true causes – all under your control – that are driving this terrible and unnecessary brain shrinkage.
Those citizen scientists have taken the time, often initially for personal interest, to discover their actual cognitive function, and completed a comprehensive questionnaire.
We hope to reach a million people around the world within a year or so making this the biggest prevention-focussed study of its kind.
Change is not going to come from the Government or the NHS. It is going to have to come from us, the people.
We ask you to take control of upgrading your brain and in the process become Citizen Scientists for better brain health for future generations.
Follow these seven steps.
STEP 1: Take the Cognitive Function Test
What you’ll learn:
- Find out where you are on the cognitive function scale
- Learn the most important dietary and lifestyle actions you can take
- Take control of your mental wellbeing
- Contribute to the Food for the Brain research process
Take the Cognitive Function Test
STEP 2: Test for the Four Keystone Biochemical Processes
A consensus of world experts concluded that lowering homocysteineHomocysteine is an amino acid found in the blood. Elevated levels of homocysteine have been associated with narrowing and hardening of the arteries, an increased… with B vitamins is the easiest and most cost effective prevention action, which Oxford University’s health economists estimate would save the UK £66 million per year. However, it’s vital to test both homocysteine and Omega-3 levels, as they are co-dependent. Homocysteine-lowering B vitamins only work in those with sufficient omega-3, and omega-3 only works if homocysteine is low.
So, get tested for the four keystone biochemical processes with the DRIfT Test.
It will calculate your Dementia Risk Index functional Test (DRIfT) score. Tracking this, along with your Cognitive Function (CFT) and Dementia Risk Index (DRI) is the most comprehensive way to protect your brain.
This 4-in-1 test measures:
- Vitamin DWhat it does: Helps maintain strong and healthy bones by retaining calcium. Deficiency Signs: Joint pain or stiffness, backache, tooth decay, muscle cramps, hair loss….
- Omega-3
- Homocysteine
- HbA1C
More info – Drift Test from Food for the Brain and Other Tests. You can also just test for Omega-3 to help the research of Food for the Brain’s Omega Brain Campaign.
STEP 3 – Get Educated
Read my book Upgrade Your Brain – Out Now!
More info & to order – Upgrade Your Brain Book
Join me on my UK or Ireland Seminar Tour – May/June
I’m visiting 30 cities in the UK and Ireland in May/June to kick start a nationwide ‘Upgrade Your Brain’ campaign.
“We need to engage with millions of people, get nutrition education happening in schools, and most of all get heath authorities and governments around the world to take the mental health meltdown seriously and put brain health at the top of the health agenda.”
Professor Crawford says “Today’s diet bears no resemblance to the wild foods we ate during our species’ evolution to which our genome is adapted. If we don’t prioritise brain health and nutrition the continued escalation of mental ill health, starting in the 1950s, can only end in disaster.”
Dates/locations: More tour info & how to book
Sign up to my E-News
Go to the home page of this website and sign up to my E-News for more blogs/reports/videos and podcasts on brain health. Follow on Facebook (PatrickHolford) and Instagram. (PatrickHolford.UK)
STEP 4: Start a Brain Healthy Diet
The Upgrade Your Brain cooking app with brain-friendly recipes will be launching soon. It will help you make the right food choices for your brain.
STEP 5: Ensure You Get Enough of the Right Nutrients
There are three essentials for building brain cells (neurons) – omega-3 fats, B vitamins and Phospholipids. Omega-3 is bound to phospholipids by methylationMethylation is what occurs when the body takes one substance and turns it into another, so that it can be detoxified and excreted from the… which is a process that is dependent on B vitamins – B6, B12 and folate.
There are some key supplements that have been identified to support brain health. In the Holford range these are:
- Connect: B vitamins and zincWhat it does: Component of over 200 enzymes in the body, essential for growth, important for healing, controls hormones, aids ability to cope with stress… to support healthy methylation
- High PC Lecithin – A Rich source of 63% phospholipid
- Omega-3 Support – 550mg of DHA and 750mg of EPA
All these are found in the Brain Food Upgrade pack
STEP 6: Spread the Word & Promote Prevention
We urge everyone to share the ‘prevention’ message with others.
You can do this by sharing social media posts and blogs/reports.
You can participate in Alzheimer’s Prevention Day on 15 May and encourage others to do the same. Take the free 3-minute online Alzheimer’s Prevention Check and get motivated to make the eight brain-friendly diet and lifestyle changes
“You are the architect of your own brain’s future health.” says neurologist Dr David Perlmutter.
Take the test for Alzheimer’s Prevention Day
Step 7: Support the ‘Prevention’ Work
‘Friends’ donate £50 a year and get so much in return. This is how we are funding our amazing research team (see foodforthebrain.org/researchteam/). We are a lean, keen, small but mighty team.
Every donation, big or small, goes right back into helping people prevent these preventable and terrible diseases such as dementia. Together, we can change the world. We need to, because time is running out. We will lose our humanity if we don’t stop this brain drain.”
All donations are put back into research, and the results of the research are shared back to people.
Give to Food for the Brain and support their work.
References
[i] Sala-Vila, A.; Tintle, N.; Westra, J.; Harris, W.S. Plasma Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Risk for Incident Dementia in the UK Biobank Study: A Closer Look. Nutrients 2023, 15,4896. https://doi.org/10.3390/ nu15234896
[ii] Sala-Vila, A.; Satizabal, C.L.; Tintle, N.; Melo van Lent, D.; Vasan, R.S.; Beiser, A.S.; Seshadri, S.; Harris, W.S. Red Blood Cell DHA Is Inversely Associated with Risk of Incident Alzheimer’s Disease and All-Cause Dementia: Framingham Offspring Study. Nutrients 2022, 14, 2408. https://doi.org/10.3390/ nu14122408
[iii] Wei BZ, Li L, Dong CW, Tan CC; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative; Xu W. The Relationship of Omega-3 Fatty Acids with Dementia and Cognitive Decline: Evidence from Prospective Cohort Studies of Supplementation, Dietary Intake, and Blood Markers. Am J Clin Nutr. 2023
[iv] Loong, S.; Barnes, S.; Gatto, N.M.; Chowdhury, S.; Lee, G.J. Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Cognition, and Brain Volume in Older Adults. Brain Sci.2023,13,1278. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/brainsci13091278
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