Omega-3 Rich Diet Strengthens Monkey Brains

Eating foods rich in omega-3 acids strengthens the brain, a new study on monkeys suggests.

Researchers found that the brains of monkeys fed a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids had highly connected and well-organized neural networks. In contrast, monkeys fed a diet deficient in the fatty acids had much more limited brain networking.

As neural networks in monkeys are similar to those in humans, researchers said the latest study supports previous findings on the importance of omega-3 fatty acids in healthy brain development.

"The data shows the benefits in how the monkeys' brains organize over their lifetime if in the setting of a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids," Damien Fair, PA-C, Ph.D., assistant professor of behavioral neuroscience and assistant professor of psychiatry in the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine and senior author on the paper, said in a news release. "The data also shows in detail how similar the networks in a monkey brain are to networks in a human brain, but only in the context of a diet rich in omega-3-fatty acids."

The latest study involved a group of older rhesus macaque monkeys between the ages of 17 and 18. These monkeys had been fed all of their lives either a diet low or high in omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA.

The findings revealed that monkeys fed the high-DHA diet showed strong connectivity of early visual pathways in their brains, and greater connections within various brain networks similar to the human brain - including networks for higher-level processing and cognition

"For example, we could see activity and connections within areas of the macaque brain that are important in the human brain for attention," said Fair.

Researchers said the next step is to study brain development in the monkeys fed various diets from birth into old age.

"It would be important to see how a diet high in omega-3s might affect brain development early on in their lives, and across their lifespan," Fair concluded.

The findings are published in the Journal of Neuroscience.