To Reap the Benefits of Fish Oil, Take the Right One and Take it Early

This week's study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finding fish oil capsules did not prevent Alzheimers is a classic case of a narrow conclusion upon which the media is making broad sweeping generalizations. In the study, people were given pills containing the Omega 3 Fatty Acid DHA (decosahexaenoic acid), which is only one of a group of omega oils that can reduce inflammation and have the potential to help prevent inflammatory conditions such as Alzheimer's. The negative results of the JAMA study run counter to previous research, and one reason might be the study used the wrong pill.Look for darker-hued fish oil capsules, in which the manufacturing process has not destroyed beneficial properties of the oil.

So-called "whole omega" fish oil supplements (which were not used in this most recent study) contain the Omega 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9's, which are the oils found in wild-caught salmon. It is thought the balance of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids is more important for preventing inflammation than the presence of Omega 3 fatty acids alone. The manufacturing process is also key, it has to be a low-heat process similar to that used in making Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which preserves the natural oil as well as the powerful antioxidant, Astaxanthin, found in wild-caught fish oil. While more research is clearly needed to sort all of this out, this recent study is by no means definitive.

In addition to the researcher's curious choice of a fish oil product that contains only one type of omega fatty acid, the researchers also set the pill a very difficult task by choosing participants already diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Fish oil has not been touted as a cure for Alzheimer's, but rather as a preventive strategy. In order to test fish oil's powers of prevention, a study would have to include only people who had no diagnosis of Alzheimer's, and follow the development of Alzheimer's over time. An ideal group would be people with a family history of Alzheimer's who have not developed symptoms.

So before you throw away your fish oil, check to be sure that it is a whole omega product and not DHA alone... and take it early, at middle age, before inflammation takes its toll on the ol' grey matter.