Ageing and memory loss seem to go together

You get older, your memory gets worse. Just about everyone notices it. But do aging and memory loss really have to go together? Is memory loss inevitable as you age?

However aging and memory loss needn’t necessarily go together. I know someone who is over 100 years old who has cognitive faculties and a memory as sharp as a tack.

Memory loss with age is probably genetically determined. However there are lots of conditions which are genetically determined which are also dramatically affected by other factors. It seems from recent research that memory loss may be one of these.

A recent study discussed recently at the American Academy of Neurology’s Honolulu meeting considered research done at the University of California in San Francisco.

The research was designed to investigate how inflammation in the brain could impact on the onset of age-related memory loss.

Inflammation just means swelling, and inflammation is at the root of so many health conditions that affect so many of us, particularly lifestyle conditions. And as science moves forward more and more researchers are beginning to link inflammation with more and more health complaints.

A clinical professor of neuropsychology from the University of California found in a study that older people with higher levels of inflammation were found to have poorer levels of memory.

The study examined a group of older people with an average age of over 70, and these people were tested for inflammation in the brain as well as their ability to remember a range of words.

The results demonstrated that those who had more inflammation in the brain also exhibited a lower level of memory.

What does all this have to do with fish you may ask? The oil found in fish contains the Omega 3 essential fatty acids. The Omega 3 fats, particularly DHA and EPA, the most important of the Omega 3 fats, are extremely effective anti-inflammatories.

And research is showing that it is this anti-inflammatory effect, amongst others, that makes the Omega 3 fats so essential to the correct operation of our body. The Omega3 fats are more effective as anti-inflammatories than some anti-inflammatory drugs.

And here’s the rub. The only way to get more Omega 3 fats in your body is to get more in your diet, because the only way they get in your body is through what you eat. If you don’t eat foods with enough essential fatty acids in them you won’t be getting enough, there is no other way.

Fish is by far the best known source of the Omega3 fats, but unfortunately fish is expensive and, as is being more and more understood, also contaminated to a degree by industrial toxins.

If you eat more fish you will increase your intake of the essential fatty acids. Changes in our dietary habits over the last century have resulted in a significant decline in the amount of fish in our diet, and there is clear evidence that virtually all of us are now deficient in the Omega3 fats.

The best fish is oily fish. Even better is to take quality Omega 3 supplements, the best of which are quite free from contamination and are much more cost effective to take daily.

There is no guarantee that if you increase your intake of the essential fatty acids you’ll have a perfect memory right up to the age of 100. Like all these things there are other contributing factors. However it seems clear that there are so many other health benefits from increasing your intake of the Omega 3 fatty acids that you should be doing so regardless, for your general health.

One of the most important things about staying healthy is to be proactive. Eat a better diet, exercise more, don’t smoke and so on. You know what you should be doing.

One to add to the list, that is simple, not that expensive and effort free, is taking Omega 3 supplements every day, and eating more fish.

You just have to remember.

The Omega 3 fats in flax seed oil aren’t as healthy

The health benefits of fish oil are becoming more and more well-known. Sales of fish oil supplements have exploded faster than any other nutritional supplement in history, and for good reason. More and more people understand that adding some fish oil to your diet daily is extremely good for your health.

However there are different forms of the Omega 3 essential fatty acids, and today we wanted to talk about the differences between these, and why fish oil is a better source of the Omega 3 fats than some other popular sources such as flax seeds.

There are a number of different fatty acids known as the Omega essential fatty acids. There are the Omega 3 fatty acids, for example but there are also Omega 6 and 9 fatty acids as well.

It is the Omega 3 fatty acids that are the most beneficial to your health, in fact some of the others are not beneficial at all. But even amongst the Omega 3 fats there are different types.

DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) are the 2 most important of the Omega 3 essential fatty acids. DHA in particular is extremely important to overall good health as well as to mental function. A large portion of your brain is made up of fat and a large portion of that fat is DHA.

DHA is important to both the development of the brain as well as to brain function throughout life.

The best source of DHA and EPA is fish, and in particular oily fish as these fats are found in the oil.

However there are other sources of DHA and EPA as well. Unfortunately these are now not as effective as they once were.

Grass fed beef is a good example. The essential fatty acids come from grasses. And so a cow raised on grass also has the Omega 3 fats DHA and EPA. In fact that’s where the DHA and EPA found in fish comes from. It comes from seagrass which the fish eat, then passes up the fish food chain.

However almost all our beef is now grain fed, and there are no Omega 3 fatty acids in grain, and hence very little in beef now. The same applies to other food sources such as chicken and eggs.

Some people seek to get their Omega 3 fats from plant sources. Flax seeds for example are promoted as a good source of Omega 3 fats, however many people are unaware that the form of Omega fats found in plant sources such as flax is a different form.

It is neither DHA or EPA, it is in fact called ALA, and is not nearly as effective for improving your health as the other 2.

In fact the primary health benefits of ALA is that it can be converted in the body into DHA and EPA, however only a small percentage of it is actually converted.

So for this reason fish, and in particular oily fish, are streets ahead. And if you can’t eat lots of oily fish then high quality fish oil capsules are the best alternative source.

Fish is expensive, however it is much more cost-effective to take superior quality fish oil capsules every day than it is to eat fish, and of course you’re not subjecting yourself to the risks of Mercury contamination from eating too much fish if you’re taking quality fish oil capsules which are free of contaminants.

However not all fish oil capsules available on the market are high quality, and some have been found in the past to contain industrial toxins like Mercury.

We hope that has enlightened you a little more to the differences between the different types of Omega 3 essential fatty acids, and the best way to incorporate the health benefits of fish oil into your diet.

Nutrition education and additional information on healthy food choices are available through the Benedictine University online nutrition and wellness graduate degree program.