{"id":465384,"date":"2026-05-02T18:51:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T18:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/465384\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T18:51:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T18:51:13","slug":"omega-3-supplements-may-increase-risk-of-cognitive-decline-scientists-warn-sciencealert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/465384\/","title":{"rendered":"Omega-3 Supplements May Increase Risk of Cognitive Decline, Scientists Warn : ScienceAlert"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nutritional supplements are exploding in popularity, but some experts remain skeptical<\/a> of the numerous health claims<\/a> surrounding these pills and their safety<\/a> at high dosages.<\/p>\n

Omega-3 is often taken by older adults to protect cognitive function, but a new study from researchers in China suggests that these oral capsules may have the opposite outcome in those with genetic risk factors<\/a> for Alzheimer’s<\/a> disease.<\/p>\n

The research is only observational, among mostly White, educated older adults, so it needs to be interpreted with caution, the study authors say<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The findings don’t prove that omega-3 supplements cause accelerated brain decline in this specific subset of people, but they suggest that we still have lots to learn about the supplement’s pros and cons.<\/p>\n

“These findings challenge the prevailing view of omega-3 as uniformly beneficial and highlight the need for a cautious reassessment of its widespread use for cognitive protection,” write<\/a> the authors, led by researchers at the Army Medical University in China.<\/p>\n

“From a clinical and public health standpoint, our findings suggest that a more nuanced assessment and further research are warranted.”<\/p>\n

While there are lots of observational studies<\/a> to suggest omega-3 fatty acids may protect the brain and slow cognitive decline, more rigorous experiments have turned up mixed results<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Eating a certain amount of unsaturated fats seems to be good for overall human health, but every body is different, and it remains controversial<\/a> whether taking additional omega-3 supplements actually protects brain function or slows dementia<\/a> across the board.<\/p>\n

Many randomized controlled trials<\/a> have failed<\/a> to find that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation benefits cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer’s.<\/p>\n

\"Omega-3(The Heart Foundation<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Their study analyzed health data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Among more than 800 participants \u2013 around half of whom carried a gene risk factor for dementia, called APOE \u03b54 \u2013 those who took omega-3 supplements showed faster cognitive decline than those who didn’t.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, ADNI participants taking omega-3 showed a faster decrease in scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), which is used to gauge memory, attention, and language skills.<\/p>\n

Their scores on tests used to measure cognitive decline also increased faster.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, these outcomes did not seem to be influenced by core biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain, like plaques or tangles<\/a>. The cognitive decline wasn’t even associated with a loss of gray matter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instead, the decline was best explained by changes to neuronal synaptic function.<\/p>\n

“Our results suggest a previously underrecognized possibility that omega-3 supplementation may, in some contexts, adversely affect synaptic integrity, ultimately counteracting its short-term benefits,” the authors explain<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“This insight calls for a more nuanced understanding of the role of omega-3 in the aging human brain \u2013 beyond a simplistic protective-versus-ineffective framework.”<\/p>\n

\"Subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n

The team suspects<\/a> that there is a ‘sweet spot’ for reaping the benefits of omega-3, and that supplementation needs to strike a “delicate balance” between the pros and the cons.<\/p>\n

Too much of a good thing<\/a> could have potentially deleterious effects, such as raising oxidation in the brain or somehow fueling underlying disease.<\/p>\n

Oftentimes, if omega-3 levels are low, experts will suggest<\/a> that patients increase their consumption of whole foods that are naturally high in omega-3, as these may come with other benefits. This way, it’s harder to eat too much.<\/p>\n

A systematic review<\/a> in 2025 found that low-dose omega-3 supplements are associated with benefits for cognition, but that high doses above 1,500 mg a day may reverse that advantage in some patients.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/b>Taking Too Much Vitamin D Can Backfire, Scientists Warn<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Ultimately, the message is clear: We need more research<\/a> before omega supplements are recommended for brain health.<\/p>\n

“Future studies are warranted to elucidate the dose-dependent, context-dependent, and time-dependent dynamics underlying the potential benefits and harms of omega-3 supplementation,” the study authors conclude<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The study was published in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nutritional supplements are exploding in popularity, but some experts remain skeptical of the numerous health claims surrounding these…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":465385,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[277],"tags":[18,135,19,17,808,508],"class_list":{"0":"post-465384","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-msft-content","13":"tag-nutrition"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116506492079138672","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/465385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}