A 2-year clinical trial found that high dose omega-3 supplements didn’t improve memory, thinking skills, or brain structure in older adults at increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The supplements raised omega-3 levels in participants’ blood and in the fluid around the brain, yet their test scores and brain structure matched those of the placebo group. Experts recommend a broader approach to supporting brain health, including regular exercise, quality sleep, and a dietary pattern such as the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fish.
A clinical trial found that taking high dose omega-3 supplements for 2 years did not help memory or thinking skills in older adults at increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
Researchers at Keck Medicine of USC led the study, which was published in eBioMedicineTrusted Source. Participants took either a daily high dose supplement of omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or a placebo.
Fish oil is one of the most familiar ways people get omega-3s. However, the supplement in this clinical trial wasn’t made from fish, Hussein Yassine, MD, director of the USC Center for Personalized Brain Health with Keck Medicine of USC and the study’s lead researcher, told Healthline. This article uses the broader term omega-3 supplements.
