Cod Liver/Fish Oil supplements assessed using repeated measures are prospectively and cross-sectionally associated with Cognitive Performance tests in a population based cohort

Abstract

Dementia is a condition mainly affecting older people. Non-modifiable risk factors include age and genetic factors; however, lifelong, modifiable -and largely behavioural- risk factors may be associated with cognitive function and dementia risk (1). Changes in these risk factors may occur during a person’s life course. There has been much interest in fish consumption in relation to dementia(2) as well as cardiovascular disease risk(3), suggesting a potential biological pathway for omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA). Fish intake has been below SACN recommendations in the UK(4); whereas cod liver oil (CLO) is the most popular supplement consumed and contributes 50 % to over- all n-3 PUFA intake(5) . We studied cross-sectional as well as prospective associations between n-3 PUFA containing supplements and per- formance on cognitive tests in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer, based in Norfolk (UK). ...