Eating more fish in older women helps fight the effects of air pollution on the brain, research shows.

Older women who eat more than one or two servings of grilled fish or crustacean aquatic animals a week may have consumed enough omega-3 fatty acids to fight the effects of air pollution on their brains, according to a new study published July 15. The study was published online in the American Academy of Neurology's medical journal, Neurology.
researchers found that older women living in areas with high levels of air pollution had higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood than those with the lowest levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood.
fish are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids and can easily be added to the diet," said study author Hega of Columbia University. Studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids fight inflammation and maintain brain structure in the aging brain. Omega-3 fatty acids have also been found to reduce brain damage caused by neurotoxins such as lead and mercury. So we looked at whether omega-3 fatty acids have a protective effect against another neurotoxin, fine particulate matter in air pollution. The
included 1,315 women with an average age of 70, none of them had dementia at the start of the study. The women completed questionnaires about diet, physical activity and medical history.
women with the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood also have larger sea osmotic bodies.
Our findings suggest that as women get older, higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood from eating fish may protect brain capacity and may resist the potentially toxic effects of air pollution, " he said. Importantly, our study only found a link between brain capacity and eating fish. It has not been shown that eating fish maintains brain capacity. Since some independent studies have found that certain types of fish may contain environmental toxins, it is important to talk to your doctor about which fish to eat before adding more fish to your diet. (Compilation/Jujie)
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