Fish and Nuts Do Not Improve Cognitive Skills: Study

A latest study shows that fish and nuts are not as helpful as previously believed in improving cognition.

Previous studies have found that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and nuts play a major role in enhancing cognitive skills. But the new study says that omega-3 fatty acids do not improve cognition.

"There has been a lot of interest in omega-3s as a way to prevent or delay cognitive decline, but unfortunately our study did not find a protective effect in older women. In addition, most randomized trials of omega-3 supplements have not found an effect," study author Eric Ammann, MS, of the University of Iowa in Iowa City, said in a news release.

"However, we do not recommend that people change their diet based on these results. Researchers continue to study the relationship between omega-3s and the health of the heart, blood vessels, and brain. We know that fish and nuts can be healthy alternatives to red meat and full-fat dairy products, which are high in saturated fats."

For the study, the researchers examined 2,157 women aged between 65 and 80. They were previously registered in the Women's Health Initiative clinical trials of hormone therapy. The participants were told to take tests on thinking and memory every year. This continued for six years. The researchers also tested the respondents' blood to know the omega-3 fatty acids amount in them.

The researchers divided women with high and low levels of omega-3s in the blood at the time of the first memory tests. They found that that women with high level of omega-3 fatty acids showed no improvement in their thinking skills.

The findings are published in the journal Neurology.