Linking low docosahexaenoic acid intake to Alzheimer's disease : caution recommended
Publication date
2007Author(s)
Cunnane, Stephen C.; Plourde, Mélanie; Vandal, Milène; Freemantle, Erika; Tremblay-Mercier, Jennifer; Bégin, Michel
Subject
Docosahexaenoic acidAbstract
Prospective cohort studies and animal models support the concept that low docosahexaenoic acid intake is implicated in the etiology or progression of Alzheimer’s disease. However, other
studies crucial to this relationship are less encouraging. To date, the few trials using docosahexaenoic
acid to treat declining cognition in the elderly have either been very small or, in the largest trial, the
beneficial effect was mild and limited to a sub-group of patients. The supplements used in each of these
clinical trials contained at least one polyunsaturated fatty acid other than docosahexaenoic acid, so the
active ingredient remains unclear. One widely cited study reported markedly lower brain docosahexaenoic acid in Alzheimer’s disease but at least five other much less commonly cited reports have not
corroborated this effect. There are numerous inconsistencies or confounders in the data and several
challenges to overcome before definitively attributing a specific role to docosahexaenoic acid in the
protection of cognitive function in the elderly
Collection
The following license files are associated with this document: