Jan
14
2009
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating one portion of omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish per week may reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by over 50 percent.
2,275 people over 65 years of age participated in the EUREYE Study. They were given eye exams and completed a food frequency questionnaire.
Researchers found that oily fish was consumed less than once per week by 64% of the study population, once per week by 25%, and twice per week or more by 12%.
Those eating oily fish at least once per week had a 50% reduced risk of a type of AMD called neovascular AMD (NV-AMD), while those eating oily fish at least twice per week had a 58% reduced risk.
Good choices for fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids are cold water oily fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies and sardines.
Read other research showing the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for healthy vision
Learn more about natural omega-3 vision supplements
SOURCE: Augood, et al; Oily fish consumption, dietary docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid intakes, and associations with neovascular age-related macular degeneration; Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 88, No. 2, 398-406, August 2008.
Nov
06
2008
Researchers with the Hordaland Health Study reviewed the relationship between consumption of different amounts of fish (and fish products) and cognitive performance.
In this study, 2031 subjects in Norway aged 70 to 74 underwent a battery of six cognitive tests and completed food-frequency questionnaires that identified both the quantity and the type of fish consumed in their diet. Researchers then studied the associations between cognitive performance and the main types of consumed seafood, i.e., fatty fish, lean fish, processed fish, fish sandwich, and fish or cod liver oil.
They found that fish eaters had significantly better results on all cognitive tests than did the non-consumers, even after adjustment for several non-nutritional factors with a proven association with cognition (e.g., education levels).
The protective effect of eating fish and fish products extended to almost all of the tested cognitive abilities. In addition, the associations between fish and fish product intake and cognition were dose-dependent: those who ate greater amounts of fish showed better test results.
The researchers also observed that the results depend on the type of fish consumed: the effect was more pronounced for non-processed lean fish and fatty fish.
Read other studies that link fish consumption to improved eye health
Learn more about natural fish oil products
SOURCE: “Cognitive performance among the elderly and dietary fish intake: the Hordaland Health Study”, Nurk, et. al., Am J Clin Nutr; 86:1470-1478 (November 2007).
