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Sharpen your wits with plenty of fish
Eating fish may help ward off those ‘senior moments’, according to research carried out in by scientists in Norway
The study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found that older people who ate more fish generally had better memories and cognitive skills than those who shunned seafood.
The Norwegian study included over 2000 people, roughly half male and half female, aged between 70 and 74, living in Western Norway.
First the scientists assessed the cognitive skills of the volunteers, using a series of tests that examined all six cognitive areas including, memory, spatial motor skills, visual understanding, attention, orientation and verbal fluency. The volunteers were also asked about their eating habits, and specifically what type of fish they enjoyed, and how often they ate seafood.
The team found that people who ate more than 10g of seafood a day scored significantly higher in all six cognitive tests than those who ate less.
'We saw a significant increase in cognitive ability in those people who ate fish,' said Dr. A David Smith, Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology at Oxford University and lead author of the study, 'We also found that the more fish consumed (up to 75g) the better people scored in the tests.'
Previous studies have linked the omega 3 fatty acids, found in abundance in oily (fatty) fishes like salmon and mackerel, with an enhanced cognitive performance. However surprisingly the results of this study found that it did not matter what type of fish was eaten.
'We found equal results with lean fish and fatty fish' said Professor Smith, 'so it may not just be the omega 3 oils that are producing the benefits.'
The study also revealed that people who ate unprocessed fish products like fresh fish rather than fish supplements like fish oils performed better overall.
'Most of us in the UK don’t eat enough fish – especially oily fish,' says Paul McArdle, spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, 'This study is further evidence of how important it is to include fish in your diet. Fish is an important source of lean protein and can be easy to prepare and eat.'
Paul McArdle recommends eating at least 2 portions of fish a week, including one portion of oily fish.
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