Millions Take Fish Oil for Brain Health. A Major New Trial…

Millions Take Fish Oil for Brain Health. A Major New Trial Found It Doesn't Work. Americans spend over a billion dollars every year on fish oil supplements, largely on the promise that omega-3s protect brain health and may help prevent Alzheimer's. A new clinical trial from Keck Medicine of USC suggests that promise may not hold up. Researchers followed 365 adults aged 55 to 80 over two years, in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, the gold standard of clinical evidence. All participants rarely ate fish, the main natural source of omega-3s, and were considered at elevated Alzheimer's risk. Nearly half carried the APOE4 gene, the strongest known genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's. Participants received either a daily fish oil supplement containing 2,000 mg of DHA, or a placebo. The first finding: the supplement worked as intended: After six months, DH