Omega-3 Pills Don’t Boost Memory in Alzheimer’s Patients

Omega-3 pills don’t slow decline in Alzheimers patients despite promotions promising the opposite.

This is bad news for the multimillion-dollar study funded by the U.S. government.

An author of the US$10 million study and researcher at Oregon Health and Science University, Dr. Joseph Quinn told The Canadian Press , “”We had high hopes that we’d see some efficacy but we did not,”

DHA is found in reduced amounts in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Smaller studies suggested eating fish or supplements like fish oils pills that contain fatty acids could slow that mental decline.

The new research involved 300 men and women aged 76 on average with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. These participants were told to take DHA pills or placebos for 18 months.

In the end, the results in both groups were similar. Those who took DHA had no benefits in slowing their Alzheimer’s symptoms. Even those with mild symptoms of Alzheimers did not have any benefits.

Scientific director of Alzheimer’s Association William Thies recommends starting treatments in the disease’s earlier stages. “It seems clear that either we have to have more powerful drugs or they have to be used earlier in the course of the disease,” Thies said.