salmon, tuna and/or sardines — they consumed each week.
On average, the group consumed fish about twice a week.
The research team then stacked the development of brain lesions, cavities and fluid up against each participant’s fish consumption habits.
The result: Vascular disease — which can affect blood flow to the brain — was cited among just 18% who ate fish four times a week and in 23% of seniors under 75 who consumed fish three times weekly.
By contrast, nearly one-third of non-fish eaters had developed key markers for vascular illness.
The study authors stressed that their findings highlight an association, and do not actually prove that eating fish can prevent dementia onset.
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Why isn’t it effective for those over 75?
Still, why was no such association seen among those 75 and up?
“The reasons for this specificity are not clear yet,” Thomas says. “One hypothesis is that fish consumption might be more beneficial at the earliest stages of the disease process, thus among younger participants.”
Even so, she adds, if they hold up upon further research, the findings may ultimately provide “a potentially simple and