Can eating fish prevent Alzheimer's?

“Fish could protect against Alzheimer’s,” reported The Daily Telegraph. Several newspapers said that people who eat baked or grilled fish once a week are up to five times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

The story is based on an abstract of a study that examined the association between the amount of fish eaten and the size of certain brain structures 10 years later. Researchers also looked at whether the size of these structures was associated with a risk of loss of brain function (cognitive decline) over five years.

While the media widely reported that the research looked at Alzheimer’s disease, the abstract did not report findings on Alzheimer’s specifically, only on cognitive decline.

The research suggested that eating baked or grilled fish at least once a week is good for brain function and is associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline, which is often a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease.

Only limited detail on the methods and results of this study is currently available. Until more information is published, it is not possible to say whether this study suggests that eating fish has a meaningful impact on cognitive decline or the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.