Fatty acids may slow very early Alzheimer's

NEW YORK Oct 12 (Reuters) Dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids for six months appears to be of little benefit in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to results of a study conducted in Sweden.

However, a second look at the data suggests that omego-3 fatty acids may protect cognitive function in patients with very mild, early stage AD.

Studies have shown that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, as found in fish oil, reduces the risk of AD. Furthermore, animal studies have shown that the two predominant omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), preserve cognitive function.

To evaluate the effect of DHA/EPA on patients already diagnosed with AD, investigators led by Dr Jan Palmblad, from Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge in Stockholm, randomly recruited 174 patients with mild to moderate AD.

Eighty-nine patients were assigned 430 mg DHA plus 150 mg EPA, administered four times daily, and 85 were assigned placebo for six months during blinded portion of the trial. For the next six months, both groups were given the DHA/EPA supplement.

As demonstrated by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores and the modified cognitive portion of the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-COG), the two treatment groups did not differ significantly at six months or at 12 months.

But when Palmblad's group conducted a post-hoc analysis of the 32 patients with very mild AD at baseline, those first treated with placebo exhibited a significant decline in MMSE score at six months, whereas scores remained stable in those treated with DHA/EPA.

The researchers say their results, coupled with other studies, ''support the idea that omega-3 fatty acids have a role in primary prevention of AD but not in treatment of manifest disease,'' when the ''neuropathologic involvement is too advanced to be substantially attenuated by anti-inflammatory treatment.'' REUTERS DKB RN1026