DHA Trial Shows 2,000 mg Fish Oil Fails to Slow Memory Loss Over 2 Years
Updated
Updated · Okdiario · Jul 3
DHA Trial Shows 2,000 mg Fish Oil Fails to Slow Memory Loss Over 2 Years
3 articles · Updated · Okdiario · Jul 3
Summary
A 365-person double-blind trial found daily 2,000 mg DHA did not improve memory, thinking or brain shrinkage over two years in adults 55 to 80 at elevated Alzheimer’s risk.
A 17% rise in cerebrospinal-fluid DHA after six months showed the omega-3 reached the brain, but scans and cognitive tests still showed no meaningful benefit versus placebo.
About 47% of participants carried the APOE4 Alzheimer’s-risk variant, and lead investigator Hussein Naji Yassine said the results do not support fish oil supplements as a preventive measure against Alzheimer’s.
The findings challenge a market where Americans spend more than $1 billion a year on fish oil, while reinforcing advice to favor fatty fish and broader lifestyle measures over a single supplement.
Researchers and public-health guidance still point to diet, exercise, smoking avoidance, social activity and control of blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes as the more credible path to lowering dementia risk.