You can skip the hardware store and head straight to the grocery store for that, new research suggests.
“Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to fight inflammation and maintain brain structure in aging brains. They have also been found to reduce brain damage caused by neurotoxins such as lead and mercury,” said the study author, Dr. Ka Kahe, professor of epidemiology. and obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University in New York, in a press release.
“So we explore whether omega-3 fatty acids have a protective effect against another neurotoxin, the fine particles found in air pollution.”
Connections between food and brain health.
The study looked at white women over the age of 70 who live in areas with high levels of air pollution. Those with the lowest levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood had the highest amount of brain contraction.
To conduct the study, the researchers calculated the amount of fish women consumed on average each week, measured the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood, and determined the woman’s three-year average exposure to air pollution in function of your home addresses.
They then gave participants brain scans to measure the area of the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain associated with memory, and the white matter, which helps send signals throughout the brain.
The researchers found that the benefits of omega-3s from eating fish can preserve white matter volume and hippocampus size as women age and possibly protect against the potential toxic effects of air pollution.
The study’s lead author, Cheng Chen, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, told CNN that more research is needed to see if these results can be generalized to the general population.
“Our study is one of many that provides useful information about a healthy lifestyle, such as a healthy diet, to reduce the adverse impacts of air pollution,” said Chen. “The general population still needs to follow general government recommendations. But I can say that a very small increase in omega-3s or fish consumption may be beneficial for the populations in the study.”
Before heading to the seafood section, the researchers also suggested talking to your doctor before adding more fish to your diet.
Baked or broiled fatty fish, such as wild salmon, mackerel, sardines, and tuna, are some of the best sources of omega-3s. Unfortunately, fried fish is not cut because previous research has shown that frying damages omega-3 fatty acids.
Air pollution goes beyond the lungs.
“The key to air pollution is that the particles are so small that they can get into the lungs,” said neurologist Dr. Richard Isaacson, an Alzheimer’s specialist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical Center, who was not involved in the study. .
Isaacson explained that “it is not entirely clear why air pollution specifically affects cognitive function,” but previous studies have found that after entering the lungs, toxins in air pollutants can be distributed throughout the body through of the bloodstream.
The brain is usually protected by what scientists call the blood-brain barrier, which is essentially the brain’s emergency door system that protects it from toxins circulating in the blood. But air pollution can cross that barrier.
“These toxic particles are so small that they can pass this barrier, or this door, and cause neuroinflammation and cognitive decline,” said Isaacson.
The white matter of the brain is essential to organize communication between the various parts of the gray matter of the brain, similar to telephone lines. When the brain experiences white matter loss or inflammation, those communication pathways break down.
Isaacson said that due to the anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3s and the protective effect on white matter in the brain, a diet rich in omega-3s is “sensitive for people who want to protect their brain health over time.”
He added that more studies are needed to ensure that these findings can be replicated in people of all ages and genders.
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