Omegas and Brain Health

MAYBE NEXT TIME… ANCHOVIES?

Fun fact…Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet and is often time used to represent “the end”.

Many are familiar with the term Alpha and Omega, which means “the beginning and the end”. People that know me best know that I love trivia, or what some call “useless knowledge”. That little bit of information will hopefully stick with you after reading this article, and help you remember why it is beneficial to incorporate fish oil into our diets. It is for the Omegas! Or maybe we should say the Alpha and Omegas “the beginning and the end” of our lives.

Not clear yet? I will explain.

Fish oil is a popular supplement that contains Omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA and DHA. These two specific Omegas are components of our cell membranes and are specifically abundant in the cell membrane of our brain cells. The presence of Omega-3 fatty acids is critical for normal brain function and development throughout all stages of life. Research has supported the importance of this, specifically in the beginning and the end of our lives. Correlation has been found between mothers that consume fish oil during their pregnancies and their child developing higher intelligence and brain function in early childhood.

There has also been evidence that low levels of Omegas are associated with accelerated brain aging. To go even further, there has even been evidence that fish oil supplements can help improve memory loss in people that suffer from mild age-related cognitive decline.

There is a need for more research to give us more definitive answers to its benefit through all stages of life. However, it is hard to imagine that it would not be worth incorporating into our diets through all ages even without that evidence. Also, there can be added benefits of fish oil being an anti-inflammatory as well as the added skin and heart health benefits. If supplements are not your thing, you can get your Omegas the natural way by eating oily fish like sardines, anchovies, or salmon.

So maybe then next time you get a pizza, ask if it comes with anchovies…or maybe not.

No matter how you get your omegas, it will help your brain from the beginning to “the end”

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