November 2/Washington/States News Service -- The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) reminds consumers that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), found in fatty fish and several types of dietary supplements, plays a critical role in cognitive function and heart health. A recent study published in the November 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) does not diminish the important benefits of DHA. CRN believes more research should be conducted with respect to DHA's role in reducing the risk of Alzheimers disease and dementia.
"The concern with this study is that it focused on supplementing DHA in individuals who were currently coping with Alzheimers disease. It didn't answer the question of whether DHA taken over long periods of time and several years prior to disease onset could have helped prevent these participants from developing the disease," said Duffy MacKay, N.D., vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, CRN. "Further, the study only tested DHA under the assumption that it could be used as a treatment, which is highly unlikely given how little we know about Alzheimers disease. There is still much to be learned about the potential of DHAand all omega-3 fatty acidsand the many health benefits they offer consumers."