The document discusses a study that examined the relationship between omega-3 fatty acid intake and executive function in healthy older adults. The study found that higher omega-3 intake, as measured by nutrient biomarkers, was associated with better performance on several measures of executive function, including tasks involving switching, scanning, number sequencing, and motor speed. Higher intake of both plant-derived and marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids showed benefits, suggesting omega-3s may help preserve certain aspects of cognitive functioning as people age.

1. • Internal aging clock + oxidative stress ! cognitive aging1
• Functional measure of cognitive aging: executive function6, 7
• Prevention of age-related cognitive decline via diet: evidence for omega-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3PUFAs)2, 3, 4
• Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
• Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
• Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
1. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL
2. Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Urbana, IL
3. Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana, IL
4. Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences SA, Aging and Cognitive Health, Switzerland
5. Oregon Health and Science University, Department of Neurology, Layton Aging & Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Portland, OR.
Hypothesis
Methods
Dietary(
pa*erns((
Dietary(
Ques/onnaire(
Nutrient(
Biomarker(
Analysis((
Health(of(an(
Aging(Brain(
Func/onal(
MRI(
Cogni/ve(
Abili/es(
Structural(
MRI(
n-3PUFA consumption will correlate with better performance on executive
function measures.
Subjects: Healthy adults
• N = 48, 65-75 years old, Average age= 68.83 (SD: 2.84) years
Dietary Assessment
• Nutrient biomarker plasma assessment
Neuropsychological Assessment
• Delis-Kaplin Executive Function System (D-KEFS) Trail Making Test
• Switching - scanning
• Switching - number sequencing
• Switching - letter sequencing
• Switching - combined number and letter sequencing
• Switching - motor speed
Statistical Analysis
• Principal components analysis: n-3PUFA factor score
• Multivariate linear regressions
• Predictors
• n-3PUFA factor score: EPA + DHA + ALA
• Plant n-3PUFAs: ALA
• Marine n-3PUFAs: EPA + DHA
• Covariates: age, education, gender, income, Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET)
1. Parletta, N., Milte, C.M., & Meyer, B.J. (2013). Nutritional modulation of cognitive function and mental health. Journal of Nutritional
Biochemistry, 24, 725-743.
2. Solfrizzi, V., Panza, F., Torres, F., Mastroianni, F., Del Parigi, A., Venezia, A., & Capurso, A. (1999). High monounsaturated fatty
acids intake protects against age-related cognitive decline. Neurology, 52(8), 1563.
3. Morris, M.C., Evans, D.A., Tangney, C.C., Bienias, J.L., & Wilson, R.S. (2005). Fish consumption and cognitive decline with age in
a large community study. Archives of Neurology, 62, 1849-1853.
4. Yurko-Mauro, K., McCarthy, D., Rom, D., Nelson, E.B., Ryan, A.S., Blackwell, A., Salem, N., & Stedman, M. (2010). Beneficial
effects of docosahexaenoic acid on cognition in age-related cognitive decline. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 1-9.
5. Bowman, G.L., Silbert, L.C., Howieson, D. et al. (2012). Nutrient biomarker patterns, cognitive function, and MRI measures of brain
aging. Neurology, 78, 241-249.
6. Johnson, J.K., Lui, L.Y., & Yeffe, K. (2007). Executive function, more than global cognition, predicts functional decline and mortality
in elderly women. Journal of Gerontology, 62(1), 1134-1141.
7. Lezak, M.D. (1995). Neuropsychological Assessment. 3. New York: Oxford University Press.
8. Jackon, P.A., Reay, J.L., Scholey, A.B., & Kennedy, D.O. (2012). Docosahexaenoic acid-rich fish oil modulates the cerebral
hemodynamic response to cognitive tasks in healthy young adults. Biological Psychology, 89, 183-190.
9. Yang, Y., Lu, N., Chen, D., Meng, L., Zheng, Y., & Hui, R. (2012). Effects of n-3 PUFA supplementation on plasma soluble adhesion
molecules: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trails. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 95, 972-980.
10. Pu, H., Guo, Y., Zhang, W., Huang, K., Wang, G., Liou, A.K. et al. (2013). Omega-2 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation
improves neurological recovery and attenuates white matter injury after experimental traumatic brain injury. Journal of Cerebral
Blood Flow Metabolism, 33, 1474-1484.
11. Kuczynski, B., Targan, E., Madison, C., Weiner, M., Zhang, Y., Reed, B. et al. (2010). White matter integrity and cortical metabolic
associations in aging and dementia. Alzheimers Dementia, 6, 54-62.
FUNDING: Center for Nutrition, Learning, and Memory
UIUC Neuroscience Program
CONTACT: mzamro2@illinois.edu
Results & Discussion
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A
B
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C
Question:
Does omega-3 fatty acid intake influence executive
function in a healthy, aging population?
Cogni&ve)Component) Beta) SE) P1value" R2) Sig.)Covariates))
Error(score*( 0.30( 0.15( 0.06( 0.08( M(
Switching(–(scanning( 0.75( 0.39( 0.07( 0.28( M(
Switching(–(number(sequencing*( 0.88( 0.37( 0.02( 0.27( Income(
Switching(–(number+le*er(sequencing( 0.67( 0.38( 0.08( 0.36( M(
Switching(–(motor(speed( 1.11( 0.49( 0.03( 0.38( Sex(
Predictive Power of n-3PUFA Component
Cogni&ve)Component) Beta) SE) P1value" R2) Sig.)Covariates))
Error(score*( 0.30( 0.16( 0.06( 0.07( M(
Switching(–(scanning*( 0.79( 0.35( 0.03( 0.10( M(
Switching(–(number(sequencing*( 0.95( 0.39( 0.02( 0.27( Income(
Switching(–(motor(speed*( 1.30( 0.46( 0.01( 0.15( M(
*Indicates+stepwise+regression++
Predictive Power of Marine n-3PUFAs
Conclusions:
n-3PUFAs target specific features of executive
function in beneficial ways
n-3PUFA Intake Across Sample (Standard Scores)
Future Directions
• Increase sample size
• Examine other nutrients: vitamins C, D, E, B complex
• Nutrient biomarker pattern assessment5
Enhanced executive
function performance
Results:
Multivariate regressions indicate that n-3PUFAs
positively predict executive function performance
References
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Increased cerebral blood flow8
Decreased endothelial cell death9
Enhanced myelin sheath integrity10
Increased neuronal energy11
Plant n-3PUFAs
Marine n-3PUFAs
ALA DHA EPA