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Brain health across the lifespan: A systematic review on the role of omega-3 fatty acid supplements
Amongst all organs in the human body, the brain is by far the most complex and plays the most critical role in regulation of body homeostasis. Studies have shown that specific dietary nutrients contribute to overall brain well-being, especially omega fatty acids. However, the impact of omega fatty acids throughout the duration of human life has not been fully understood. In this systematic review, Derbyshire (2018) compiled 25 randomized control trials (with a total of 3,633 participants) to investigate omega fatty acids further. The results showed that omega-3 supplementation led to a significant beneficial impact on several blood biomarkers in distinct populations, including those with lower baseline fatty acids, breastfeeding mothers, and neuropsychiatric patients. The author comments that, despite evidence suggesting the benefit of omega fatty acids in neurodegenerative conditions afflicting the geriatric population, further research is necessary to investigate their impact in the period prior to clinical diagnosis, which would help present omega supplementation as a low-cost adjunctive therapy to help support geriatric brain health and address related escalating healthcare costs. Further work using standardized methods is necessary to outline dosage requirements, ratios of different omega fatty acids to be included, and duration of treatment, in order to set universal treatment guidelines. [NPID: Brain health, omega-3 fatty acids, cognition, learning, mindfulness]
Year: 2018
