Benefits of Fish Oil Can Help You Have a Healthy Brain

The benefits of fish oil are numerous.  Clinical studies have found fish oil benefits the brain, the eyes, the heart, the skin, the immune system, diabetes, allergies, arthritis and gout, and cancer.

In this article I will chose to focus on the benefits of fish oil for the brain.  This is an important choice for me, because I have watched my mother go from a very vibrant lady who raised my three brothers and me well, to one whom now at age 89 is in a nursing home with late stage dementia, and not able to care for herself anymore.

Things that used to be so much fun for her and easy to do, she can’t do anymore.  Things like playing cards, writing letters, balancing her checkbook, fixing her own meals – activities I take for granted, and plan to do all my life, is impossible for her to do. She doesn’t remember how to do them, even though she once did them all quite well, without even having to think about how to do them. 

Studies have proven that omega-3 fatty acids is linked to a lowered risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer disease.  In the Nov. 2007 issue of Neurology, a medical journal of the Academy of Neurology. Researchers found people who regularly consumed omega-3 rich oils had a 60% less chance of developing dementia. That’s a mighty big benefit as far as I’m concerned, and one I pay close attention due to the history of dementia in my family. 

Fish oil benefits come from omega-3.  Omega-3 is also found in canola, flaxseed and walnut oils.  These fatty acids are essential for the healthy formation of the brain’s nerve cell membranes and membrane fluidity.  The brain is made up of 60% of these fatty acids.  The benefits of fish oil also helps the nervous system, because it is comprised of these fatty acids too.

Besides the help for lowering the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, fish oil benefits mood disorders such as depression, aggression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, dyslexia and dyspraxia.  Omega 3 has been proven in studies to provide relief for all of these conditions.

A report in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that taking DHA, a form of omega 3 fatty acids, may be related to a lower incident of high hostility in teenagers and young adulthoods.  This is also an important factor in cardiovascular disease in individuals, because signs of hostility have been shown to predict coronary disease.

Now that I’ve given you some information to think about concerning fish oil benefits and brain health, you may want to start taking a fish oil capsule daily. Because of the history of dementia in my family, and the benefits of fish oil for fighting that disease, I am diligent in taking fish oil supplements every day.