How Fish Oils Can Build a Better Brain

As we all know, memory is a very complex function and uses multiple parts of the brain and the hippocampus is the area of the brain that is primarily responsible for short-term memory and the place where cognitive issues and neurodegenerative conditions typically begin… This episode covers Alzheimer’s disease and how to both stop its progression and even how to reverse it. Learn what Dr. Larson has to say about the benefits of EPA & DHA from Fish Oils have on increasing blood flow to the hippocampus in reducing Alzheimer’s disease.

Decreasing inflammation is an important step in keeping your brain healthy…EPA & DHA are two fatty acid components that have been found to help in a big way! Oily fish such as mackerel, sardines and salmon are optimal choices for high levels of these fatty acids in your diet. DR. CHAD LARSON

In Episode 28, Dr. Larson discusses:

A lot of research is being conducted in the field of neurodegenerative diseases that affect things like cognition and memory leading to conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
The key to brain health is the amount of blood flow that an individual has over time
EPA stands for eicosapentaenoic acid, and DHA stands for docosahexaenoic acid, are are the main constituents in fish oil
Researchers then evaluated the perfusion rate to certain areas of the brain; perfusion rate is a term used to describe the amount of blood flow
The studied looked at different regions of the brain
The subjects who had greater perfusion in the areas of the brain that are involved in memory like the hippocampus had higher EPA and DHA levels, which led to better perfusion rates, or blood flow rates, to those areas and also greater cognitive ability
Therefore, the more EPA and DHA you have in your blood the lower your risk is for cognitive problems, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease
The best way to combat neurodegenerative conditions is through a multifactorial approach like the one developed by Dale Bredesen, which was described in previous episodes
He is an expert in the field of Alzheimer’s disease and how to both stop its progression and how to reverse it
EPA is the major building block to your natural anti-inflammatory system; it is a building block for prostaglandin 3, the more EPA you have, the more anti-inflammation power your system has
Since neurodegeneration stems from an inflammatory issue, eating foods that are high in anti-inflammatory properties will decrease your chances of neurodegradation
Your lifestyle choices have a lot to do with inflammation in the body
Fish oil and Omega-3 fatty acids both have blood thinning effects as well, which help to thin the blood and help with better flow through the blood vessels to the brain
DHA is the main fatty acid in the brain, and since the brain is made primarily of fatty acids, it would make sense that having more DHA lowers your risk for cognitive and memory issues especially in areas of the brain like the hippocampus
Eating fish that is high in fish oil, which is oily fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, albacore tuna, and lake trout, is an excellent way to get the nutrients you need to foster good brain health
If you are going to supplement with fish oil make sure that you get it from a high-quality supplemental source to preserve your cognition and memory for long-term brain health