Fish has always been linked to better cognitive function

Only last week we reported on how good fish was for you and how the Hollywood actress Eva Longoria was sticking to a strict fish diet to keep healthy. This week a new study published in the medical journal Neurology highlights the importance of eating fish to improve brain function.

The research which looked at over 2,300 older men and women most of who were in their seventies examined their brains five years ago and recently.  They noted that small brain lesions which can only be seen in high resolution scans and which have been connected to higher rates of dementia and cognitive thought were more prevalent in those individuals who did not eat fish.

The scientists said that those volunteers who ate fish (specifically baked or broiled fish which is rich in omega 3 fatty acids) more than three times weekly were 26%  less likely to suffer from these brain lesions than those men and women who ate fish only once monthly or even less. They also noted that by eating fish just once a week you reduce the chances of suffering from brain lesions by 13% and that those people who ate a lot of fried fish did not reap the benefits. In all the brain lesions were seen in about ¼ of all the participants.

Fish has always been linked to better cognitive function and there is even research which shows that children whose mothers eat fish when pregnant have a higher IQ’s when they grow up. Nevertheless the data is not a hundred percent conclusive and there are some nutritionists who say that eating too much fish which can contain mercury could be harmful to pregnant mothers.

The research involving brain lesions is interesting but it is important to remember that the cognitive aptitude of each participant was not tested and therefore no direct link between reduced levels of dementia and eating fish can be conclusively proven at this stage from this research.