Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in older adults and the 7th leading cause of death in the United States according to the National Institute on Aging. It is a debilitating progressive illness that slowly destroys cognitive function and memory.

New research shows that people with a higher blood DHA level are 49% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease vs. those with lower levels, according to the Fatty Acid Research Institute (FARI). The study, led by Aleix Sala-Vila, PhD, suggested that providing extra dietary omega-3 DHA, especially for those carrying the ApoE4 gene (which approximately doubles an individual’s susceptibility to develop AD) might slow the development of the disease. Such a cost-effective, low-risk dietary intervention like this could potentially save billions in health care costs.

In this prospective observational study conducted within the Framingham Offspring Cohort — including 1490 dementia-free participants aged =65 years old — researchers examined the association of red blood cell (RBC) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) with incident Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), while also testing for an interaction with APOE-e4 carriership.

Risk for incident AD in the highest RBC DHA quintile (Q5, >6.1%) was 49% lower compared with the lowest quintile (Q1,