Alzheimer’s disease has a disproportionate impact on women over the years. There are currently approximately 7.2 million Alzheimer’s patients in the United States, nearly two-thirds of whom are women. New research points out that unsaturated fats ri...
Alzheimer’s disease has a disproportionate impact on women over the years. There are currently approximately 7.2 million Alzheimer’s patients in the United States, nearly two-thirds of whom are women. New research points out that unsaturated fats rich in Omega-3 fatty acids may play a unique protective role in women's brain health, indicating that there may be gender differences in the development of the disease.
This study was published in the journal "Alzheimer 's &&; Dementia". The research team analyzed blood samples from 841 European subjects and detected 700 lipid molecules. 306 of them suffered from Alzheimer's disease and 165 had mild cognitive impairment. It was found that affected women had the highest levels of saturated lipids and the lowest levels of unsaturated lipids responsible for carrying Omega-3. There was no significant difference in blood lipid composition among men regardless of whether they were sick or not.
Research leader Cristina, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London Dr. Legido-Quigley said that 32 lipid changes were significantly associated with Alzheimer's disease in women, but none in men, highlighting the uniqueness of women in lipid metabolism and disease progression. "This means that we need to rethink the understanding, diagnosis and treatment strategies of Alzheimer's disease on the basis of gender."
Past studies have shown that about 45% of dementia cases may be preventable, 7% of which are related to excessive low-density cholesterol (LDL, commonly known as "bad cholesterol"). Therefore, lipid metabolism is considered to be an important key to maintaining brain health. Although this study strengthens the link between lipids and Alzheimer's disease in women, it is still an observational study and there is no guarantee that the results can be generalized to other ethnic groups because the participants were all older Europeans.
Experts remind that it is not appropriate to simply increase the intake of Omega-3 to prevent Alzheimer's disease because of this research. However, for overall health, moderate intake of Omega-3 is still a dietary habit worth encouraging. It is recommended to focus on food sources, such as eating oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines 2 to 3 times a week, or adding flax seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts to daily meals.
