Perhaps you have heard that omega 3’s are great for brain health - but how true does that hold for adults in middle age? While previous research has shown that omega 3’s support cognition for older individuals, a new study found that dietary omega 3’s impact brain health, despite age.

Study Summary

This new research, including 2,183 participants (average age of 46), found that:

• Higher omega-3 dietary intake has brain advantages for middle-aged individuals.
• Researchers associated a higher omega-3 intake with a larger hippocampal volume - which correlates to better learning and memory.
• A higher omega-3 intake was also associated with enhanced abstract reasoning.
• There were also brain benefits for APOE4 (associated with heart disease and dementia) carriers with a higher omega-3 intake.

The Hearty Take

Regardless of age, omega 3’s are an important component of any diet - especially for brain health. Promote brain health by consuming omega 3’s from healthy sources – eat fish (low mercury options are best like salmon, sardines and mackerel) and eat nuts and seeds, particularly flax seeds, chia seeds and walnuts!