Just What Is Omega-3

Known primarily as the beneficial component of fish oil, Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) come in different varieties and sources.  I don’t know about the stuffed shirts, but I like to say “poof-a.”  I will probably work poof-a into conversation a number of times this week.  Anywho, the PUFAs we call omega-3 have shown a lot of promise for neuroprotection, which we will look at in future articles.  Here and now, we try to better understand something we’ve been hearing about for years.

Let’s Talk About Fat

Triglycerides.  Our body fat is made of triglycerides.  Triglycerides are also found floating in our blood.  Triglycerides are made from a backbone of glycerol (also called glycerin) and 3 to 4 fatty acids.  Glycerol is a colorless, odorless, sweet, and non-toxic liquid.  Fatty acids are where all the variety comes in.

Fatty acids are usually 16, 18, or 20 carbon atoms long and most importantly fatty acids are either saturated or unsaturated.

Saturated.  Imagine 16 people (carbon atoms really) holding hands as a chain.  Each person is touching the person next to them only once (hand in hand).  Each person in this chain is […]

By |2018-01-29T10:31:24+00:00January 29th, 2018|Prevention and Treatment|3 Comments

Eat Curry Avoid Alzheimer’s: UCLA Study of Curcumin Shows Improved Memory and Reduced Brain Pathology

Compared to placebo, the curcumin group showed significant improvement for primary verbal memory, primary visual memory and measure of attention.  PET scans showed strong evidence that amyloid beta deposits and tau tangles in the amygdala declined significantly in the curcumin group.  Furthermore, deposits and tangles in the hypothalmus of the placebo group showed a significant increase after 18 months, but the curcumin group was spared this unfortunate result.

By |2018-01-25T14:04:53+00:00January 25th, 2018|Prevention and Treatment|2 Comments

Moderate Physical Activity Increases Hippocampus in Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who engaged in moderate physical activity had greater hippocampal volume.  Atrophy of the hippocampus is a hallmark of Alzheimer's, therefore these results suggest that exercise can help to stave off Alzheimer's.  

By |2018-01-17T07:54:18+00:00January 17th, 2018|Prevention and Treatment|Comments Off on Moderate Physical Activity Increases Hippocampus in Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment
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