Research proves that fish is actually a brain food

Eating fish is good for brain; the theory is old and highly common. But it is not as old as you think it is. The fact was almost non-existent a century ago. There have been umpteen researches and various conclusions but no one reached a common ground. Researchers have been debating the question and have not found an answer. Some said that the fish is good for the brain while some ditch it sue to the presence of mercury content.

But a recent new study at JAMA answers this question perfectly. The study days that fish is indeed good for the brain. As per the research, eating more fish reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s. Though, this fact was established along with the stature of presence of higher levels of mercury in the brains of people who eat fish. But the levels of mercury were not at the level of being risky and the benefits outweighed the risk involved.

Fish does the job and not the supplements

This new study was conducted by Martha Clare Morris and colleagues at Rush Medical Center in Chicago. They conducted a study on 554 Chicago residents fir the long-term aging study. The scientists conducted autopsies to look directly in the brain for physiological changes such as neurotic plaques. This is one of the explicit signs of Alzheimer’s. A questionnaire was used and the data regarding eating fish was collected. The study also proves that the benefits come from eating fish and not any kind of supplements. As per the study, “fish oil supplementation had no statistically significant correlation with any neuropathologic marker”.

There are some major conclusions that were found. People who ate seafood at least once per week had lower levels of three different physiological signs of Alzheimer’s. But this was only found in people with a genetic marker known as APOE ε4, which itself carries an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. Also, none of the people in the study had dementia when they first enrolled and the research began in 1997.

Fish is overall beneficial in spite of the mercury level

This is not the first study that justifies that fish is good for brain. The authors said after reading previous studies they found protective relations between seafood consumption and n-3 fatty acids with cognitive decline and incident dementia. The JAMA study also talks about mercury levels and brain changes during Alzheimer’s. As per the study, in spite of the increased mercury that is caused by eating more fish, the overall effect is beneficial.

The author also promotes that “fish consumption may be more beneficial with older age”. As per the study, as we age, our brains lose DHA and fishes help once these symptoms take over. The FDA already recommends fish for pregnant women and kids too. The nutritional benefits of fishes are heavy and the food industry can rejoice. As long as you get the taste and the benefits that save you from Alzheimer’s, why would you complain? Thus, all the fish lovers can conclude that fish is really the food for the brain.