Could a simple supplement protect women against Alzheimer’s? That’s the implication of a recent study out of London that found women with Alzheimer’s had significantly lower levels of unsaturated lipids, particularly those containing omega-3 fatty acids, says James Witts.
This lipid deficiency wasn’t seen in men, suggesting a gender-specific difference in how we metabolise lipids.
“Women are disproportionately impacted by Alzheimer’s Disease and are more often diagnosed with the disease than men after the age of 80,” said senior author Dr Cristina Legido-Quigley, from King’s College London, who conducted the study alongside scientists at Queen Mary University London. “One of the most surprising things was that there was no difference in these lipids in healthy and cognitively impaired men, but for women this picture was completely different. The study reveals that Alzheimer’s lipid biology is different between the sexes, opening new avenues for research.”
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The research involved taking plasma samples and measuring lipid levels, which are fatty compounds, in the blood of 306 people who had Alzheimer’s disease, 165 people with mild cognitive impairment and 370 people who were cognitively healthy and acted as the controls. Lipids are broken down into unhealthy saturated or healthier unsaturated.
On analysis, women with Alzheimer’s disease possessed higher levels of saturated lipids and lower levels of unsaturated lipids than cognitively healthy women.
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Fats perform an important role in maintaining a healthy brain, so this research could begin to explain why Alzheimer’s disease is twice as common in women than men. Other factors mooted include hormonal difference, immune response and women’s longer average lifespan, with ONS (Office of National Statistics) data revealing that on average UK men live to 79 and women 83.
“Our study suggests that women should make sure they are getting omega fatty acids in their diet through fatty fish or via supplements,” said Legido-Quigley. Omega-3s are a family of essential fatty acids that build and supply energy to the cells in the body, especially the brain and eyes. You can’t synthesise them in your body, so you must get them from your diet.
Excellent sources of omega-3s are mackerel, sardines, anchovies, salmon, walnuts, chia seeds, soybeans and oysters.
Supplements are also an option, albeit consuming from real food is preferred. If you do choose supplements, look for the EPA and DHA amounts. These are found primarily in fish and you should seek out a combined 500-1,000mg combined EPA and DHA daily. If your 1,500mg capsule only contains 300mg of EPA plus DHA, you’ll need more capsules.
There is no government recommendation in the UK for how much omega-3 we need, but suggests we consume two portions of fish per week with one of those being oily like mackerel.
