Oily fish an essential brain food 

People with low levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been found to have poor visual memory.

DIETS lacking an essential nutrient found in oily fish may hasten brain shrinkage and mental decline. 

Brain scans carried out on 1575 people with an average age of 67 showed a greater rate of brain shrinkage in those who lacked docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid that is thought to help nerve cells communicate with each other. The richest source of the nutrient is oily fish, such as herring, mackerel and sardines.

Dr Zaldy Tan, from the University of California at Los Angeles, who led the US research reported in the journal Neurology, said: "People with lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were equivalent to about two years of structural brain ageing."

The study involved magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans and tests for mental function and omega-3 fatty acids in red blood cells. Participants whose DHA levels were among the bottom 25 per cent had smaller brains than those with higher DHA levels.

Low levels of all omega-3 fatty acids were also associated with poor test scores for visual memory, problem solving, multi-tasking and abstract thinking. Dr Marie Janson, from the British charity Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "There has been a lot of research into the effects of omega-3, and this study will add to that debate. One strength of this study is that it used blood samples to measure people's dietary intake of omega-3, rather than relying on answers to questionnaires to assess the link between omega-3 and cognition. However, this research does not tell us whether the people studied got worse or better over time.

In addition the best evidence for reducing your risk of dementia is to eat a healthy, balanced diet, take regular exercise and keep your blood pressure and cholesterol in check.

For those of us who don’t eat as much of this type of fresh fish to obtain these omega-3’s a supplement of Krill oil each day is essential (the fish oil capsules don’t usually deliver the dose required) adding Krill oil to your daily intake not only helps with brain function but is also associated with heart health and can help with joint problems. The most important thing to consider when choosing a supplements is to make sure it is natural NOT synthetic as research has shown natural supplements are more effective and need to be used long term for major benefits, like a healthy diet.

Cheers :)