Super Nutrient Slashes Alzheimer’s Risk by 49%
Anything that reduces your risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease is a win in my book, no matter how small.
But today, I’m excited to share a new breakthrough study that identified a nutrient that slashes your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Not by 10 percent, 20 percent, or even 30 percent…
But by a whopping 49 percent.
The best part?
It’s especially beneficial for those who have the highest risk of the disease.
Researchers looked into the connection between blood levels of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA and the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.
They found that people whose blood levels of DHA were in the highest quintile had a 49 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s compared to those in the lowest quintile.
And those who have a higher risk of the disease (because they’re carrying the APOE-e4 gene) benefit even more from higher levels of DHA than those without the gene.
They estimated that this difference could result in about five additional years of living without Alzheimer’s, in 2.7 additional years of life, and $500,000 savings in healthcare costs.
When it comes to beneficial nutrients, it doesn’t get much better than that.
Here’s the thing… this isn’t the first time that DHA has been shown to have such a dramatic impact on Alzheimer’s risk.
Fifteen years previously, the parents of those in this study (the original Framingham Heart Study cohort) who had the highest levels of DHA experienced a 47 percent reduction in all-cause dementia (compared to those with the lowest levels).
I prefer to get my DHA through foods naturally rich in omega-3s, like seafood, nuts, and eggs.
But if you’re concerned about your Alzheimer’s risk, you could also consider taking an omega-3 supplement to help ensure that your DHA levels are high enough to help prevent this devastating disease.
P.S. I recently wrote about another key nutrient that has been shown to improve cognitive function—while reducing levels of depression—in aging brains. Click here to read about it.
SOURCE:
(2022, June 9.) “High Omega-3 DHA Level Linked with 49% Lower Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.” SciTech Daily. https://scitechdaily.com/high-omega-3-dha-level-in-blood-linked-with-49-lower-risk-of-alzheimers-disease/
