Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Omega-3 fatty acids and risk of cognitive decline in the elderly: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Evidence has demonstrated that omega-3 fatty acids intake may be associated with age-related cognitive decline. However, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have drawn inconsistent conclusions. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the association between omega-3 fatty acids and risk of cognitive decline in the elderly. A strategic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library (updated to December 2014) was performed. We retrieved six randomized controlled studies as eligible for our meta-analysis. Among these six studies, the duration time ranged from 3 to 40 months. The dose of omega-3 fatty acids (DHA + EPA) ranged from 400 to 1800 mg. The result of our meta-analysis expressed that omega-3 fatty acids statistically decrease the rate of cognitive decline in MMSE score (WMD = 0.15, [0.05, 0.25]; p = 0.003). In conclusion, our meta-analysis indicated that omega-3 fatty acids may help to prevent cognitive decline in the elderly.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Waitzberg DL, Garla P (2014) Contribution of omega-3 fatty acids for memory and cognitive function. Nutr Hosp 30(3):467–477

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Hooijmans CR, Kiliaan AJ (2008) Fatty acids, lipid metabolism and Alzheimer pathology. Eur J Pharmacol 585(1):176–196

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Uauy R, Dangour AD (2006) Nutrition in brain development and aging: role of essential fatty acids. Nutr Rev 64(5 Pt 2):S24–S33 discussion S72–S91

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Rondanelli M, Opizzi A, Faliva M et al (2012) Effects of a diet integration with an oily emulsion of DHA-phospholipids containing melatonin and tryptophan in elderly patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment. Nutr Neurosci 15:46–54

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Geleijnse JM, Giltay EJ, Kromhout D (2012) Effects of n-3 fatty acids on cognitive decline: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in stable myocardial infarction patients. Alzheimers Dement 8:278–287

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Lee LK, Shahar S, Chin AV et al (2013) Docosahexaenoic acid-concentrated fish oil supplementation in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI): a 12-month randomised, doubleblind, placebo-controlled trial. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 225:605–612

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Yurko-Mauro K, McCarthy D, Rom D et al (2010) Beneficial effects of docosahexaenoic acid on cognition in age-related cognitive decline. Alzheimers Dement 6:456–464

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Chiu CC, Su KP, Cheng TC et al (2008) The effects of omega-3 fatty acids monotherapy in Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment: a preliminary randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 32:1538–1544

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Freund-Levi Y, Eriksdotter-Jonhagen M, Cederholm T et al (2006) Omega-3 fatty acid treatment in 174 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease: omegAD study: a randomized double-blind trial. Arch Neurol 63:1402–1408

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Dangour AD, Allen E, Elbourne D et al (2010) Effect of 2-y n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on cognitive function in older people: a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr 91:1725–1732

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Stough C, Downey L, Silber B et al (2012) The effects of 90-day supplementation with the omega-3 essential fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on cognitive function and visual acuity in a healthy aging population. Neurobiol Aging 33:824

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Shinto L, Quinn J, Montine T et al (2014) A Randomized placebo-controlled pilot trial of omega-3 fatty acids and alpha lipoic acid in Alzheimer’s disease. J Alzheimers Dis 38(1):111–120

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Dyall SC, Michael GJ, Michael-Titus AT (2010) Omega-3 fatty acids reverse age-related decreases in nuclear receptors and increase neurogenesis in old rats. J Neurosci Res 88(10):2091–2102

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Robson LG, Dyall S, Sidloff D et al (2010) Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids increase the neurite outgrowth of rat sensory neurones throughout development and in aged animals. Neurobiol Aging 31(4):678–687

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Cutuli D, De Bartolo P, Caporali P et al (2014) n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation enhances hippocampal functionality in aged mice. Front Aging Neurosci 6:220

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The following authors contributed substantially to conception and design (X.W. Zhang, Z.Y. Tang), data collection (W.S. Hou, M. Li), analyses and presentation of data (X. W. Zhang). All authors had full access to the data and take responsibility for their integrity. All authors agree with the manuscript as written.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China

    Xiao-Wei Zhang, Wen-Shang Hou, Min Li & Zhen-Yu Tang

Authors
  1. Xiao-Wei Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wen-Shang Hou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Min Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Zhen-Yu Tang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhen-Yu Tang.

Electronic supplementary material

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, XW., Hou, WS., Li, M. et al. Omega-3 fatty acids and risk of cognitive decline in the elderly: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Aging Clin Exp Res 28, 165–166 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-015-0381-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-015-0381-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation