Eating baked or broiled fish weekly boosts memory and cognition

A new study has revealed that eating baked or broiled fish weekly is good for the brain, as it boosts memory and cognition.

According to the study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the anti-oxidant effect of omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in high amounts in fish, seeds and nuts and certain oils. also have been associated with improved health, particularly brain health, while lifestyle changes such as a reduction in rates of physical inactivity, smoking and obesity could lead to fewer cases of Alzheimer's disease and other conditions of cognitive impairment in the elderly.

James T. Becker said that the study shows that people who ate a diet that included baked or broiled, but not fried, fish have larger brain volumes in regions associated with memory and cognition, though they did'nt find a relationship between omega-3 levels and these brain changes, it led them to conclude that they were tapping into a more general set of lifestyle factors that were affecting brain health of which diet is just one part.

The study found that people who ate baked or broiled fish at least once a week had greater grey matter brain volumes in areas of the brain responsible for memory (4.3 percent) and cognition (14 percent) and were more likely to have a college education than those who didn't eat fish regularly, but no association was found between the brain differences and blood levels of omega-3s.

The study was published online in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.