Retired toothpaste factory man Robert F. from Indiana was suffering from short-term memory loss. And he was scared. He didn’t know if this was the beginning of something more serious — like dementia or even Alzheimer’s.
So he decided to try one of my anti-aging formulas, hoping to kickstart his brain into remembering more.
Here’s what Robert told me:
“Forgetting things you’ve known for years is frightening. It started with phone numbers. I couldn’t remember my own granddaughter’s number. This is the same phone number I’ve dialed for more than 10 years.
“My granddaughter was worried. She asked why I didn’t call her anymore… I couldn’t tell her that I forgot.
“But what really scared me was when I couldn’t remember if I’d taken my blood pressure pills. It got so bad that there were some days when I was taking the medication more than once.
“That’s when I knew I had to do something. And here I am, six months later remembering everything… My senior moments are gone.
“But most importantly, I remember to call my granddaughter every single day.”
The nutrient that helped Robert regain his missing memories is an essential fatty acid called DHA — or docosahexaenoic acid.
And I’m not at all surprised by how much it helped. Robert’s story is just one of many I hear from patients every day.
You see, DHA is the main structural fat in your brain tissue. It’s involved in the development and the function of the synapses in your brain.
I’ve known for many years that a diet rich in omega-3 fats like DHA and its cousin EPA reduces your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
And brings back those missing memories…
Here’s how DHA works. As soon as it detects damage, it converts to a compound called neuroprotectin
D1 (NPD1). This is one of the first lines of defense your body activates when brain cells are threatened.1Studies show NPD1 lowers inflammation in the hippocampus. That’s a seahorse-shaped area deep inside your brain. It’s called the “seat of memory.”2
In other words, it stops the damage that is destroying your memory function.
Not surprisingly, low levels of NPD1 levels have been found in patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
But you can turn that around by getting more DHA.
Recent studies have found that supplementing with DHA improves memory 12% in aging mice.3
It can also restore brain cell growth and memory in mice with Alzheimer’s. Mice given DHA were able to complete a maze test 15% faster. Plus, the number of mistakes they made in the maze was dramatically reduced.4
But the most dramatic finding came from a prestigious California university. In a breakthrough study, research reversed Alzheimer’s by using DHA in combination with vitamin D in 90% of patients.5
This research on DHA and dementia is groundbreaking. We may finally see a new era when it comes to brain health.
Your brain has the power to heal itself — if you give it the nutrients it needs. So it makes sense to get more DHA in your diet.
Good food sources of DHA are omega-3-rich animal products like fish, eggs and meats. Oily fish, like mackerel, herring, tuna, salmon, trout and sardines are some of the richest sources.
But over the years, I’ve found that it’s nearly impossible to get enough omega-3s from your food alone. You’ll probably need to supplement. Most natural health gurus will tell you to take a fish oil. But be careful…
Most fish oil supplements come from polluted waters that contain chemicals like PCBs and heavy metals like mercury.
That’s why I advise my patients to get their DHA from krill and calamari oil. They’re more concentrated than regular fish oil. And your body absorbs them better.
Here’s the Best Way to Get Your DHA for a Sharper Brain
- Take this tiny animal oil. Krill are shrimp-like animals that don’t live long enough to absorb large amounts of toxins — so they don’t get contaminated by the ocean’s pollutants. And their omega-3s are stored in phospholipid form instead of triglyceride. This helps it pass through cell membranes better and explains why it’s so potent in your brain function.
- And combine it with calamari. Calamari, or squid, has one of the highest concentrations of DHA of any food. But make sure your calamari oil comes from squid that live off the coast of South America in the pure waters of the South Pacific (illex argentinus). After the oil is distilled, it’s more than 65% DHA — the highest concentration of DHA I’ve found yet.
Aim to get at least 600 mg of DHA and 400 mg of its cousin EPA every day. And make sure you take them with meals so these omega-3 fats can be digested properly.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
References
1. Bazan NG, et al. “Docosahexaenoic acid and its derivative neuroprotectin D1 display neuroprotective properties in the retina, brain and central nervous system.” Nestle Nutr Inst Workshop Ser. 2013;77:121-131.
2. Orr SK, et al. “Unesterified docosahexaenoic acid is protective in neuroinflammation.” J Neurochem. 2013;127(3):378-393.
3. Arsenault D, et al. “DHA improves cognition and prevents dysfunction of entorhinal cortex neurons in 3xTg-AD mice.” PLOS One. 2011;6(2):e17397.
4. Fiol-deRoque MA, et al. “Cognitive recovery and restoration of cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus in the 5XFAD transgenic mice model of Alzheimer’s disease following 2-hydroxy-DHA treatment.” Biogerontology. 2013;14(6):763–775.
5. Cole GM and Frautschy SA. “DHA may prevent age-related dementia.” J Nutr. 2010;140(4):869–874.