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Alzheimer’s, a disease that afflicts some 5.1 million Americans, is a type of dementia that affects a person’s memory, thinking, and behavior.
Although at this point no cure exists, you can take measures to reduce your chances of suffering from this debilitating condition.
New evidence suggests that eating more fish—as long as it’s not fried—may help to protect your brain from the shrinkage and decline associated with Alzheimer’s.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center tracked the diets of 260 people with normal cognitive function for more than 10 years. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), they measured the brain volume and function of each participant at the beginning of the study, and again at the end.
The results: The 163 subjects who ate fish on a weekly basis (the majority consuming it one to four times a week) had a larger orbital frontal cortex and hippocampus (two areas of the brain that are known to shrink in Alzheimer’s patients) and better memory function that those who ate less fish.
The researchers determined that the risk for Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment was lowered fivefold within the five years following the brain scans. So start eating more fish today.