Additional Benefit of Omega-3 Fatty Acids for the Clearance of Waste From the Brain
According to a new study, omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids can improve the function of the glymphatic system, which helps clear metabolic 'waste' from the brain
FAB RESEARCH COMMENT:
The long chain omega-3 found in fish oils, EPA and DHA, have long been known to have benefits for a wide range of neurological disorders, including dementia - and for brain health at any age.Numerous different mechanisms by which these essential fats benefit brain as well as body health (which, oddly enough, go together) have also been well established, as in addition to the key structural role of DHA in brain and nerve cell membranes, EPA and DHA each give rise to a huge array of derivatives that act as regulatory substances influencing cardiovascular health, immune regulation and gene expression, as well as most cell signalling pathways.
This new study adds a new mechanism by which these special fats ar brain protective, as the researchers showed - via an elegant series of animal studies - that increasing omega-3 relative to omega-6 fatty acids also promotes the activity of the 'glymphatic system', which plays a key role in flushing toxins and metabolic waste products from the brain during deep sleep.
Specifically, increasing the omega-3/omega-6 balance improves the clearance of beta-amyloid in the brain - an over-accumulation of which is implicated in Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative disorders.
Read the associated research here:
The glymphatic system itself was only identified in recent years - but these new findings add to the substantial existing evidence that the dietary balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids plays a key role in brain health, and that higher omega-3 status is protective against a wide range of conditions in which clearance of waste from the brain is impaired - including not only dementia, but traumatic brain injury, stroke, and sleep problems.
For more information on these topics, see the following article lists, which are regularly updated:
26 Oct 2019 - Neuroscience news
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Research in The FASEB Journal suggests that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids could improve the function of the glymphatic system and promote clearance of amyloid-β peptides from the brain.
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Research in The FASEB Journal suggests that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids could improve the function of the glymphatic system and promote clearance of amyloid-β peptides from the brain.
New research published online in The FASEB Journal suggests that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are found in fish oil, could improve the function of the glymphatic system, which facilitates the clearance of waste from the brain, and promote the clearance of metabolites including amyloid-β peptides, a primary culprit in Alzheimer’s disease.
To make this discovery, scientists first used transgenic fat-1 mice, which express high endogenous omega-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the brain, to investigate the effect of omega-3 PUFAs on the clearance function of the glymphatic system.
Compared to the wild-type mice, the fat-1 mice with enriched endogenous omega-3 PUFAs significantly promote the clearance function of the lymphatic system, including the Aβ clearance from the brain.
Wild-type mice were then supplemented with fish oil, which contains high concentrations of omega-3 PUFAs, and it was found that fish oil-supplemented mice also improved the clearance function of the glymphatic system compared to the control mice without fish oil supplementation.
Omega-3 PUFAs help maintain brain homeostasis, which may provide benefits in a number of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and sleep impairment, among others.
“These now-famous fatty acids have been the subject of major studies both in academia and industry. Just when we thought we had heard everything, here is something new, and it is provocative indeed,” said Thoru Pederson, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal.
“This study should not turn attention away from the roles of these substances in maintaining vascular health, but neither should they restrict our view. The brain is an extremely vascularized organ, while we might also bear in mind that omega-3 fatty acids may impact neurons, glia, and astrocytes themselves.”
Compared to the wild-type mice, the fat-1 mice with enriched endogenous omega-3 PUFAs significantly promote the clearance function of the lymphatic system, including the Aβ clearance from the brain.
Wild-type mice were then supplemented with fish oil, which contains high concentrations of omega-3 PUFAs, and it was found that fish oil-supplemented mice also improved the clearance function of the glymphatic system compared to the control mice without fish oil supplementation.
Omega-3 PUFAs help maintain brain homeostasis, which may provide benefits in a number of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and sleep impairment, among others.
“These now-famous fatty acids have been the subject of major studies both in academia and industry. Just when we thought we had heard everything, here is something new, and it is provocative indeed,” said Thoru Pederson, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal.
“This study should not turn attention away from the roles of these substances in maintaining vascular health, but neither should they restrict our view. The brain is an extremely vascularized organ, while we might also bear in mind that omega-3 fatty acids may impact neurons, glia, and astrocytes themselves.”
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