DHA May Not Slow Alzheimer’s

According to a recent study, supplementation with the fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may not slow cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Fatty acids, particularly omega-3 fatty acids like DHA, are important for the growth and functional development of the brain in infants. Earlier evidence has suggested that fish oil, which contains DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), may help prevent cognitive decline in older adults.

The study, funded by Martek Biosciences (the manufacturer of the DHA pills used in the study) and the National Institute on Aging, included 401 adults with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either 2 grams of DHA or placebo daily for 18 months. A total of 295 people completed the trial.

Cognitive function was evaluated using the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale and Clinical Dementia Rating and was found to be similar between both groups. When the researchers reviewed MRI scans in a subset of patients, they found that DHA did not appear to affect the rate of brain atrophy.

Although no benefit was reported in this study, fish oil has been shown to have various other health benefits. For instance, fish oil is commonly taken to help prevent heart disease, and supplementation has been shown to help lower triglyceride levels and blood pressure, reduce mortality rates and abnormal heart rhythms and prevent strokes and atherosclerosis. However, high doses may have harmful effects, such as increased risk of bleeding.

For more information about omega-3 fatty acids, please visit Natural Standard’s Foods, Herbs & Supplements database.

References:

1.      Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine.

2.      Quinn JF, Raman R, Thomas RG, et al. Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation and cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2010 Nov 3;304(17):1903-11. View Abstract

Where do Snails come from?

Image via Wikipedia

“Where do snails come from?”
By:
Ray Harrison
Richmond Heights Memorial Library
Richmond Heights, MO

The Roman Snail is the largest European snail, with a globular shell reaching a diameter of 2 in. (5 cm), colored creamy white with pale brown spiral bands. Prized as food, especially in France, the species was farmed by the Romans. Considered a vineyard pest, the species is widespread in Central and Southeast Europe; it has been introduced into United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and Spain. Its courtship is elaborate, taking several hours and involving exchange of love darts. Batches of about 40 eggs laid in ground from late spring to summer hatch three to five weeks later, according to Grzimek’s Animal Life.

Since we no longer have Grzimek’s Animal Life one can find information about Snails in Science in Context. If you search for Snails you will find a main article on Snails. The following is from the article:

Snails have occupied practically every type of habitat that supports animal life. Dehydration appears to be the greatest danger for terrestrial snails, while predation is the greatest danger for marine snails. Bieler has estimated that 53% of all snail species are prosobranchs, largely marine, 4% opisthobranchs, entirely marine, and the remaining 43% pulmonates, terrestrial and freshwater. In intertidal zones, numbers of prosobranchs such as the common periwinkle Littorina littorea is immense. According to Abbott, Littorina probably reached North America from Europe on driftwood “before the time of the Vikings” (about AD 1000) and gradually extended its range from Newfoundland to Ocean City, Maryland. In exchange, about 100 years ago northern Europe was invaded by the common slipper shell Crepidula fornicata, which has proliferated to the point of being a pest of English oyster beds.

For younger students use Kids InfoBits or World Book For Kids