Prenatal omega-3 may aid babies' brain development

Prenatal omega-3 may aid babies' brain development - Yahoo! News
2008.02.27
"...among 109 Inuit infants they followed, those whose umbilical-cord blood was higher in docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 acid, at birth did better in tests of infant brain and eye development at the ages of 6 and 11 months...The new findings, reported in the Journal of Pediatrics, highlight the particular importance of DHA in the mothers' diet during the third trimester, when fetal brain development accelerates...There was no correlation, however, between the infants' test performance and DHA from breast milk. It's likely, according to Jacobson's team, that mothers' third-trimester DHA intake is more important than babies' consumption of breast-feeding because of the "critical third trimester brain growth spurt."...Besides fish, such as tuna and salmon, other DHA sources include fish oil supplements and algae-derived DHA..."

A bit more evidence of the power of DHA supplements during the prenatal period, especially the second half of pregnancy. Prenatal choline is probably the most important brain booster during the prenatal period. Moderate exercise during pregnancy is also another brain booster.

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Dirty air may lower kids IQ

Kids who live in neighborhoods with heavy traffic pollution have lower IQs - Yahoo News/Reuters
2008.02.15
"The effect of pollution on intelligence was similar to that seen in children whose mothers smoked 10 cigarettes a day while pregnant, or in kids who have been exposed to lead...The more heavily exposed children were to black carbon, the lower were their scores on several intelligence tests... heavy exposure to black carbon was linked to a 3.4-point drop in IQ, on average. Heavily exposed children also scored lower on tests of vocabulary, memory and learning...traffic pollution may exert harmful effects by causing inflammation and oxidative damage to the brain..."

Prenatal ways to boost your child's intelligence here.

Choline and fish oil supplements are still beneficial to children's intellectual development, along with exercise and a healthy diet of fruits and veggies. Educational efforts like the Abecedarian (0-5yrs) method can boost intelligence and life outcomes.

Don't let the folks say you can't do anything if you can't move from a highly polluted area.

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Fish Oil Prevents Alzheimer's Plaques

Fish Oil Prevents Alzheimer's Plaques - WebMD
Via QualityCounts
2007.12.26
"Why does fish oil help prevent Alzheimer's disease? Your brain needs a fish oil fatty acid to make a plaque-fighting protein, UCLA researchers find...It's known that people who get plenty of DHA, a fish oil fatty acid, have a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease, note Greg M. Cole, PhD...Why? Cole's team had a clue. People with Alzheimer's disease tend to have low levels of a brain protein called LR11 (also known as SorLA). And about 15% of people with Alzheimer's disease carry a genetic mutation that reduces LR11...LR11 helps clear the brain of amyloid precursor protein, essential for production of the brain-gumming beta-amyloid plaque that clogs the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease...Sure enough, in live rodents and in cultures of human brain cells, the researchers found that the fish-oil compound DHA causes brain cells to make lots more LR11...it may be a great help if taken at the first signs of Alzheimer's"

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Omega-3 fatty acids protect against diabetes

Omega-3 fatty acids protect against diabetes: study - Yahoo! News
2007.09.25
"..."It is a relatively large effect," said Jill Norris... at-risk children who ate a lot of foods rich in omega-3 were 55 percent less likely to have pancreatic islet autoimmunity..."This is all omega-3 fatty acids, not just the kind that are found in fish."...children with omega-3 fatty acids in their blood cell membranes had a 37 percent decreased risk of having islet autoimmunity"...Omega-3 fatty acids interfere with enzymes that play a role in inflammation, a potential trigger for type 1 diabetes..."

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Review of previous studies indicates antidepressant effects of omega-3's

Review backs antidepressant effects of omega-3s Reuters/Yahoo!News 8/15/07 "The results of a major review of published research that examined the relationship between depression and level of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet suggest that omega-3 fatty acids have antidepressant effects. However, the researchers point out that the quality of the studies means it's still too soon to say definitively that omega-3s can treat depression or bipolar disord...Fish and fish oil, as well as flax seed oil, are rich sources of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Because areas in which there is high omega-3 PUFA consumption have a lower prevalence of depression, much interest has been generated in their use as antidepressants..."

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Omega-3 has anti-inflammatory potential

Study finds omega-3 greater anti-inflammatory potential NutraIngredients.com 7/30/07 "An increased intake of fish oil over vegetable oil can help reduce the inflammation of various tissue and organs...omega-3 fish oil has a greater effect of decreasing the formulation of chemicals called prostanoids than the equivalent from vegetable oil...a relative increase in fish oil lowered the amount of prostanoids from vegetable oil...Prostanoids, when produced in excess, increase inflammation in various tissues and organs...Certain beneficial effects of fish oil may result from altered PG metabolism resulting from increases in the EPA/AA ratios of precursor phospholipids." ...The in vitro study found that an increase fatty acid high in EPA had a greater effect on inhibiting the creation of prostanoids from omega-6 in the COX-1 enzyme. "

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EPA offers slight advantage over DHA against colorectal cancer

Different omega-3 may offer different colorectal protection NutraIngredients.com 7/11/07 "Increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids from marine source, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), may offer differing levels of protection against colorectal cancer...Increased intake of EPA was associated with a 41 per cent reduction in risk, while DHA was associated with a 37 per cent reduction in risk, comparing highest against lowest average intakes...It has previously been proposed that omega-3 fatty acids may inhibit the omega-6 arachidonic acid (AA) cascade that has been linked to cancer formation and cell proliferation.Metabolism of fatty acids produces compounds called prostaglandins, which can be either pro- or anti-inflammatory. The prostaglandins derived from omega-3 fatty acids are said to be anti-inflammatory and may protect against the development of cancer, while prostaglandins derived from omega-6 fatty acids, like AA, are proposed to be pro-inflammatory..."

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Omega 3 fatty acids and prostate cancer

Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help Slow Prostate Cancer Growth ScienceDaily 6/21/07 ""This study clearly shows that diet can tip the balance toward a good or a bad outcome," said senior researcher Yong Q. Chen, Ph.D...Mice with the tumor suppressor gene remained free of tumors and had 100 percent survival, regardless of diet. In mice with the gene defect, survival was 60 percent in animals on the high omega-3 diet, 10 percent in those on the low omega-3 diet and 0 percent in those on the high omega-6 diet..."This suggests that if you have good genes, it may not matter too much what you eat," said Chen, a professor of cancer biology. "But if you have a gene that makes you susceptible to prostate cancer, your diet can tip the balance. Our data demonstrate the importance of gene-diet interactions, and that genetic cancer risk can be modified favorable by omega-3 PUFA."..."

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Omega 3 linked to stronger bones

Fish oil again linked to stronger bones NutraIngredients.com 5/31/07 "Increasing omega-3 fatty acid intake in the diet at the expense of omega-6 fatty acids may boost bone health and reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life, if a new study in mice can be translated into humans...In the fish oil-supplemented mice, bone mineral density increased significantly in distal femoral metaphysis (DFM) by 20 per cent, proximal tibial metaphysis (PTM) by 24 per cent and tibial diaphysis (TD) by 15 per cent, versus baseline. In comparison, BMD increased only minimally in corn oil-fed mice. BMD increased significantly in the femoral diaphysis (FD) bone region in mice groups, but the increase was higher in fish oil-supplemented mice compared to the corn oil-fed mice, 36 versus 25 per cent, respectively...The beneficial findings amongst the fish oil-fed mice was also accompanied by a decreased activity of pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and lower osteoclast generation in bone marrow cell cultures...Inflammation is caused by a number of compounds, including cytokines. These compounds also stimulate bone breakdown, a natural part of a body process known as the bone cycle in which they are continuously broken down and rebuilt."Inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines and lower osteoclast generation suggest that higher BMD in FO-fed mice may be associated, in part, with both decreased bone resorption and higher bone formation," concluded the researchers. "

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Eating Apples And Fish During Pregnancy May Protect Against Childhood Asthma And Allergies

Eating Apples And Fish During Pregnancy May Protect Against Childhood Asthma And Allergies ScienceDaily 5/21/07 "...the children of mothers who ate the most apples were less likely to ever have wheezed or have doctor-confirmed asthma at the age of 5 years, compared to children of mothers who had the lowest apple consumption. Children of mothers who ate fish once or more a week were less likely to have had eczema than children of mothers who never ate fish...The study did not find any protective effect against asthma or allergic diseases from many other foods, including vegetables, fruit juice, citrus or kiwi fruit, whole grain products, fat from dairy products or margarine or other low-fat spreads...Willers concludes that at least until age 5, a mother's diet during pregnancy might be more influential on a child's respiratory health than the child's own diet. She notes that further study of this group of children will be needed to see whether the association with the mothers' diet declines in older children, and if mothers' and their childrens' diets interact in older children...Willers suggests that the beneficial effect of apples may come from powerful antioxidants called flavonoids, while fish's protective effect may come from omega-3 fatty acids, which other studies have suggested have a protective effect on the heart and may have a protective effect in asthma..."

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The many benefits of omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids have positive effect on muscle mass EurekAlert 5/9/07 "..."Adding fish oil to their diet could prevent this decline by restoring insulin sensitivity in aging animals," suggests the researcher. "In addition, it could contribute to reducing the amount of by-product emissions in the environment, since animals that are given omega-3’s spontaneously eat 10% less food to achieve the same weight gain," points out Thivierge...Restoring insulin sensitivity through the use of marine omega-3 fatty acids could also prevent the loss of muscle mass in older people and, by the same token, prevent the various health problems associated with it, believes Thivierge. She also suggests that omega-3’s could help athletes trying to increase their muscle mass. "However, it should not be seen as a miracle product," she points out. "For increased muscle protein metabolism to take place in people younger than 50, physical training is still required,"..."

Is there no end to the health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids? Slows Alzheimers, boosts grey matter in brain, can benefit mood, fights macular disease, helps prevent postpartum depression, makes you lose weight, lowers prostoglandins, inhibits liver cancer, prenatally can protect against breast cancer for daughters, may slow prostate cancer, oh and it also lowers mortality in general, fights heart disease and makes kids smarter. The list goes on.

Question the meta studies to the contrary (ahem BMJ... you might want to revisit topic), omega-3's appear to have shown a clear pattern of health benefits... now we just have to worry about the fish and the depleting stocks. Vegetarian sources of DHA and EPA exist and a combo of these is nearing store shelves last I read. Maybe it's out already? I guess so - here's one company offering it. Can't vouch for them at all though.

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DHA might fight Alzheimers

Omega-3 Fatty Acid May Help Prevent Alzheimer's Brain Lesions ScienceDaily 3/17/07 "This study with genetically modified mice is the first to show that DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, can slow the accumulation of tau, a protein that leads to the development of neurofibrillary tangles. Such tangles are one of two signature brain lesions of Alzheimer's disease. DHA also was found to reduce levels of the protein beta amyloid, which can clump in the brain and form plaques, the other Alzheimer's lesion..."We are greatly excited by these results, which show us that simple changes in diet can positively alter the way the brain works and lead to protection from Alzheimer's disease pathology," said Frank LaFerla, professor of neurobiology and behavior and co-author of the study...Mice in three test groups were given food with a 1:1 ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids...only mice on the DHA diet had lower levels of both proteins. These results suggest that DHA works better on its own than when paired with omega-6 fatty acids...DHA, they found, leads to lower levels of presenilin, an enzyme responsible for cutting beta amyloid from its parent, the amyloid precursor protein. Without presenilin, beta amyloid cannot be generated. When clumped into plaques, beta amyloid disrupts communication between cells and leads to symptoms of Alzheimer's disease..."

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Fish oils delay cognitive decline

Fish Oils Delay Cognitive Decline, Studies Find HealthDay Yahoo!Health 4/10/07 "In one study...The researchers concluded that consumption of approximately 400 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids per day (equivalent to eating six servings of lean fish per week or one serving of fatty fish per week) protects against cognitive decline...In the other study...The study found no association between baseline levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the men and overall cognitive decline. However, an analysis of specific types of cognitive decline did find that higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids were associated with protection against loss of verbal fluency. This association was particularly strong in men with high blood pressure and dyslipidemia (disruption in the amount of lipids in the blood) but was not evident in men with major depression..."

Fish oil and Curcumin are both compounds that show promise with cognitive decline and Alzheimer's. Curcumin has been shown to break down beta amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's - in half of patients studied.

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Omega-3 Fatty Acid May Protect Heart

EPA, a Fatty Acid in Fish Oil, May Prevent Nonfatal Heart Problems
WebMD 3/29/07 "2.8% of those taking EPA along with statins experienced a major coronary event, compared with 3.5% of those only taking statins...EPA pills weren't linked to any difference in fatal heart attacks or sudden cardiac death...When Yokoyama's team took a closer look at the data, they found the EPA advantage only applied to patients with a known history of coronary artery disease. Patients with high cholesterol but no history of coronary artery disease may also get some heart protection from EPA, but that's not certain..."EPA might affect risk only at very high levels of fish intake, such as those common in Japan," ...Lastly, the researchers note that they only tested EPA pills, not fish or fish oil."

An unusual amount of caveats coming out with this research - still, it made it to the Lancet.

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DHA linked to denser bones

Omega-3 fatty acids linked to denser bones in men Reuters/Scientific American.com 3/22/07 "men who had the highest levels of omega-3s in their blood as 22-year-olds showed the greatest bone mineral density, and also built the most bone between their late teens and their early 20s...The amount of bone mineral people accumulate as adolescents and young adults is considered a key factor in whether or not they will develop the brittle bone disease osteoporosis later on, Hogstrom and his team note the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition...Animal studies have suggested omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish and flaxseed as well as other food sources, may promote bone formation and density...Higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), were linked to greater bone mineral density in the body and the spine at age 22. Higher levels of omega-3s were also tied to greater accumulation of spinal bone mineral density between age 16 and age 22...Omega-3 fatty acids, the authors point out, might influence bone formation by affecting calcium metabolism or the formation of collagen..."

So another study that shows why omega-3's help fight osteoporosis and other bone disorders later in life. One question I have is did these young men have fewer fractures than average due to the greater bone mineral density? If so this would be another benefit of omega 3 fatty acids.

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EPA - omega 3 fatty acid, might boost brain power

Supplement 'boosts' brain power BBC News via QualityCounts 3/12/07

A super small non clinical study - all of 4 people. This is only notable because of Professor Basant Puri's previous work with EPA and the marked results of this study.
"Tests of VegEPA, in four overweight youngsters, showed improvement in reading, concentration, and memory. Brain scans showed three years worth of development in just three months in the children...experts warned the study was extremely small and the current evidence on the benefits of fatty acid supplements was inconclusive...Tests done at the end of the three-month study found the children showed an increase in reading age of well over a year, their handwriting became neater and more accurate and they paid more attention in class...Brain scans which identified a chemical called N-Acetylaspartate (NAA) which is linked to the growth of nerve fibres in the brain also showed dramatic changes..."In three months you might expect to see a small NAA increase. "But we saw as much growth as you would normally see in three years. "It was as if these were the brains of children three years older. It means you have more connections and greater density of nerve cells, in the same way a tree grows more branches."... Professor Puri said he believed that it was EPA specifically which conferred the benefits which was why studies of fish oil supplements which also contain a fatty acid called DHA showed confusing results..."

More on this at Timesonline.

A full clinical trial will be led by Professor Puri and maybe then we'll have a better understanding of EPA's effects on our brains. I have to say the DHA vs EPA debate which has been going on for a decade seems to have little resolution which is frustrating. I had expected that by now there would be better delineation of what each fatty acid does in the brain, whether there is an optimum ratio for prenatal, postnatal nutrition and for children, adults, men and women. Also what is best for depression and other disorders? (some answers seem to have come in the last few years - but also lots of conflicting results) Another question is to what extent do these fatty acids compete/compliment in the brain? Rest of the body?

I notice there are a couple of studies one at Harvard and one at Stanford that might help shed some light on this debate... or not. Results in 2008? Stay tuned.

Previous posts on fish oil.

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Omega 3 might build grey matter in the brain and improve mood

Omega-3 may build grey matter NutraIngredients.com 3/9/07 "Sarah Conklin, PhD, and colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh's Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Program conducted a study involving 55 healthy adults, and found that those who had high levels of omega-3 intake also had higher levels of grey matter in areas of the brain associated with emotional arousal and regulation...Although the finding suggests that omega-3 may promote structural improvement in areas of the brain related to mood and emotions (the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, the right amygdala and the right hippocampus), the researchers said that more research is needed to ascertain whether eating fish actually causes changes in the brain...builds on a study she presented at the same meeting last year, in which she found that people who had lower blood levels of omega-3 were more likely to have a negative outlook and be more impulsive.Those with higher blood levels were found to be more agreeable and less likely to report mild to moderate depression"

USAToday on this story - implying DHA is the fatty acid responsible for the benefit.

This coming on the heels of the meta study indicating that omega 3 fatty acids are of no help with depression. What's a person to do? Wait for the next round of studies... of which this is one. Of course there are other reasons to take omega 3 supplements.

Maybe a better bet to build grey matter is with cocoa.

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prenatal diet of fish makes for smarter babies

How eating fish during pregnancy could make baby brainier Guardian Unlimited 2/16/07 "A study of 9,000 British families suggests that women who eat seafood during pregnancy could have brainier children. The research suggests that those who avoid fish or do not eat enough of it risk depriving their unborn children of important nutrients that are needed to help brain development...A study of 9,000 British families suggests that women who eat seafood during pregnancy could have brainier children. The research suggests that those who avoid fish or do not eat enough of it risk depriving their unborn children of important nutrients that are needed to help brain development...Mothers who ate more seafood than was considered safe according to US guidelines had children who as toddlers were more advanced in fine-motor, communication and social skills; the children also showed more positive social behaviour and were less likely to have low verbal IQ scores at the age of eight. Those children whose mothers had eaten no fish were 28% more likely to have poor communication skills at 18 months, 35% more likely to have poor fine-motor coordination at three-and-a-half, 44% more likely to have poor social behaviour at seven, and 48% more likely to have a relatively low verbal IQ at the age of eight, compared with the children of women who had eaten more fish than advised by the US guidelines."

Although prenatal choline probably has a much greater effect on memory and intelligence than fish.

More on this story from New Scientist, WebMD "The FDA-EPA advisory warns pregnant women not to eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish. These are the fish more likely to have high mercury levels..."It is very clear that omega-3 fatty acids are very important for brain development," " Newsweek, FoodConsumer.


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Fish oil ineffective with depression

Fish oil unlikely to relieve depression Reuters/Yahoo!News 2/14/07 "Despite some evidence linking depression with low levels of omega-3 fatty acids, there is currently no convincing evidence that omega-3 fatty acids alone can relieve depression...As mentioned, there was little convincing evidence that omega-3 fatty acids alone can alleviate symptoms of depression and only limited evidence to back their use as a supplement to established antidepressant drugs. In about nine studies that were reviewed, fish oil supplements were generally well tolerated; the most common side effects, "particularly with higher doses, are nausea, fishy belching and loose stools," "

Disappointing but not exactly surprising since after a decade of use there hasn't been any great cry of celebration in the depression community. If it had been quite effective I'd have expected to hear far more. Still, for heart and joint benefits as well as long term brain health, fish oil is quite remarkable.

I wonder if the study looked at some of the questions regarding fish oil and depression - specifically about whether the ratio of EPA to DHA showed any effect with types of depression and whether higher doses of EPA might aid depression? Or was this review of 9 studies dealing only with generic forms of fish oil without looking at specific fatty acid ratios?

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DHA alone can lower triglycerides

omega-3 fatty acids can lower triglycerides NutraIngredients.com 2/7/07 "Subjects were randomized to either 1000mg of DHA or 1252 mg of DHA + EPA for eight weeks. A total of 116 subjects were enrolled; 57 in the DHA group and 59 in the DHA + EPA group. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. The mean age was 69.4 years and 70.7 per cent were male...In the study, triglycerides were lowered an average of 21.8 per cent in the DHA group and 18.3 per cent in the DHA + EPA group...a higher proportion of subjects in the DHA group achieved their triglyceride goal (less than 150 mg/dL) compared to the DHA + EPA group (24.6 percent versus 10.2 percent...The study compared Martek's life'sDHA branded microalgae ingredient with a fish oil that provided a combination of DHA and EPA. Martek said it did not fund or sponsor the study...DHA from microalgae is regarded as an important development in this area, as traditional vegetarian sources of omega-3 such as flaxseed yield shorter chain fatty acids, which lose a portion of their health benefits for humans when they are converted into DHA and EPA by the body...One of the most interesting developments in microalgae-derived oils comes from a company called Water 4, which says it has found a way to derive both DHA and EPA from algae. Although it has started selling finished supplements using its oils on the internet, its ingredient is yet to come to market"

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