Here is a habit you don’t want to break: Eating baked tilapia or broiled halibut once a week.
According to Time.com, a new study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine shows that eating fish is connected to more grey matter in the area of the brain that controls memory.
“Our study shows that people who ate a diet that included baked or broiled, but not fried, fish have larger brain volumes in regions associated with memory and cognition,” James T. Becker, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry.
Interestingly, the same study, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, discovered that the much-publicized link between omega-3 levels and these brain changes may not exist.
Previous studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids, often found in fish and nuts, prevent brain decline.
The Becker study has led the researchers “to conclude that we are tapping into a more general set of lifestyle factors that were affecting brain health, of which diet is just one part,” Becker added.
Becker and colleagues observed the data of 260 people who initially participated in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) – a 10-year study focused on determining the risk factors of heart disease in those who are 65 and older, reports the Tech Times.
The participants provided information on their dietary intake, such as how much fish they ate and how they prepared it. They were also given brain MRI scans.
Will it reduce dementia?
According to thehealthsite.com, “The role of fatty fish in reducing the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s is debatable.” However, one study, “by Huang TL and colleagues, showed that consumption of fatty fish (more than twice per week) was associated with reduced risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.”
The takeaway:
Eat non-fried fish at least once a week; three is better!
For more information:
Go to the University of Pittsburgh. Click here.
About the author
