Fish Oil Holds Promise in Alzheimer's Fight

Fish Oil Holds Promise in Alzheimer's Fight March 23, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Even our grandmothers told us fish was “brain food”—and now scientists have evidence to back the claim.

Researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) found that a diet high in docosahexenoic acid, or DHA—an omega-3 fatty acid found in relatively high concentrations in cold-water fish—dramatically slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in mice. Specifically, DHA cut the harmful brain plaques that mark the disease. The results appear in the March 23 online edition of the Journal of Neuroscience.

Senior author Greg M. Cole, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System and UCLA, said that unlike many studies with mice, this one points to the benefits of a therapy that is easily available and already touted for other medical conditions. DHA — either from food sources such as fish and soy, or in fish-oil supplements — is recommended by many cardiologists for heart health, based on scores of previous studies.

“The good news from this study is that we can buy the therapy at a supermarket or drug store,” said Cole. “DHA has a tremendous safety profile — essentially no side effects — and clinical trial evidence supports giving DHA supplements to people at risk for cardiovascular disease.”

The new study involved older mice genetically altered to develop Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers fed one group of the mice DHA-fortified chow. The control mice ate a normal or DHA-depleted diet. After three to five months—the equivalent of several years in human biology—the high-DHA group had 70-percent less buildup of amyloid protein in the brain. This sticky protein makes up the plaques, or patches, that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.

A similar study by Cole’s group published in Neuron last fall showed that DHA protected against damage to the “synaptic” areas where brain cells communicate and enabled mice to perform better on memory tests.

The studies, say the scientists, suggest that even people who are genetically predisposed to the disease may be able to delay it by boosting their DHA intake.

Omega-3 fatty acids, typically deficient in the American diet, are essential for human health. DHA in particular is vital to proper brain function, as well as eye health and other body processes. In recent years epidemiologists have tied fish-rich diets to a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and homed in on DHA as the preventive factor. Omega-3 fatty acid supplements are now being tested in clinical trials with early-stage Alzheimer’s patients in the United States, Canada and Sweden to see if the therapy really slows the disease.

Food sources of omega-3 fatty acids include fish such as salmon, halibut, mackerel and sardines, as well as almonds, walnuts, soy, and DHA-enriched eggs. Concerns about mercury contamination in fish have helped popularize purified DHA supplements based on fish oil or algae.

Last year, Cole’s team identified another nutrient that appears to combat Alzheimer’s plaques in mice: curcumin, the yellow pigment in turmeric, one of the spices that make up curry powder. Researchers became interested in curcumin’s potential to prevent or treat Alzheimer’s disease after noting the low prevalence of dementia among the elderly in India, where curry is a staple.

Cole is the associate director for research at VA’s Los Angeles-based Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, and a professor of medicine and neurology at UCLA. Lead author for the new study was Giselle P. Lim, PhD, a UCLA postgraduate researcher in Cole’s group. Working with them were colleagues from VA, UCLA and the National Institutes of Health. The study was supported by the National Institute on Aging, VA, the Alzheimer’s Association, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

# # # SOURCE: Department of Veterans Affairs

Norman Y. Mineta Amtrak Reform

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mineta Unveils Key Amtrak Reform Details, Says Rail Plan will Help Complete New Midwest Rail Network

An ambitious project to improve and expand passenger rail service throughout the Midwest would have a partner in the federal government for the first time under the Bush Administration’s proposal to reform Amtrak, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said during a news conference at the Detroit railroad station.

Mineta was in Detroit today to unveil details of the Administration’s Amtrak reform proposal, the Passenger Rail Investment Reform Act. The visit was part of a nationwide campaign to reaffirm President Bush’s commitment to intercity passenger rail weeks after the Administration unveiled a budget that proposed an end to taxpayer subsidies for Amtrak until “desperately needed” reforms are made.

“We all know that Amtrak and intercity passenger rail will die if it doesn’t get help soon,” Mineta said. “We have a different vision where a vibrant and viable passenger rail network connects Midwesterners to business and educational opportunities throughout the region.”

Mineta said the Administration’s plan to establish 50-50 federal matching grants for state investments in passenger rail infrastructure, like stations, trains and track, are “the key to revitalizing passenger rail travel in America.” These grants would help fund projects like the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative and give states a “powerful incentive” to invest in better tracks and more reliable equipment, making trains more popular and profitable, decreasing the need for states to pay operating subsidies, Mineta added.

The proposal, Mineta said, would “level the playing field” between Amtrak and its competitors by freeing Amtrak of the cost of maintaining tracks and stations, allowing the company to focus on “running the trains on time.” The plan would also introduce competition for rail service by letting states chose operators to run key routes.

Mineta announced that he will submit the Administration’s Amtrak reform proposal when Congress reconvenes in April. “Our plan will breathe new life into passenger rail,” Mineta said.

DOT 52-05 Thursday, March 24, 2005 Contact: Brian Turmail Tel.: (202) 366-4570 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation