Here’s who may benefit from taking fish oil supplements

So much for tipping the scales.

In the long-running debate about whether fish oil supplements are helpful , harmful or hooey , new research on their effectiveness in preventing dementia offers … mixed results.

Neurology specialists from the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) say most older adults likely won’t benefit from fish oil supplements, but they may be worthwhile for people with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease .

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The study, published on Thursday in JAMA Network Open , followed 102 healthy adults who were dementia-free and at least 75 years old.

At the outset, they had relatively high levels of white matter lesions in the brain, a risk factor for dementia , and relatively low blood levels of brain-beneficial omega-3 fatty acids , which are found in fish oil.

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Half of the participants took daily fish oil supplements rich in omega-3, while the rest took a soybean oil placebo.

The participants underwent scans at the beginning and end of the three-year study to assess changes in the lesions.

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For the most part, there was not a statistically significant difference between the fish oil and placebo groups.

“I don’t think it would be harmful, but I wouldn’t say you need to take fish oil to prevent dementia,” said study author Lynne Shinto , professor of neurology at the OHSU School of Medicine.

However, OHSU scientists found that carriers of the APOE4 gene who took the fish oil experienced a dramatic reduction in the breakdown of nerve cells in the brain.

The change was noticeable as soon as one year after starting fish oil treatment.

Now, researchers are calling for a larger, more diverse trial to test fish oil’s effect on people with APOE4, which is a major genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s.

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