CHECKUP FISH LOWERS RISK OF DEMENTIA, STUDY FINDS.Byline: -Staff and Wire Services A new study has found that elderly people who eat fish or seafood once a week or more had a lower risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. ``There is an inverse association,'' says Dr. Pascale Barberger-Gateau, lead author of the study published in the British Medical Journal. ``The risk of dementia decreased with the frequency of fish consumption.'' The fatty acids found in fish have long piqued researchers' interest for their possible role in preventing dementia. There is also some evidence that these polyunsaturated polyunsaturated /poly·un·sat·u·rat·ed/ (-un-sach´er-at-ed) denoting a chemical compound, particularly a fatty acid, having two or more double or triple bonds in its hydrocarbon chain. pol·y·un·sat·u·rat·ed (p fatty acids, or PUFAs, also called omega-3 fatty acids omega-3 fatty acid n. , may help coronary artery disease. Fish that are especially rich in PUFAs are mackerel mackerel, common name for members of the family Scombridae, 60 species of open-sea fishes, including the albacore, bonito, and tuna. They are characterized by deeply forked tails that narrow greatly where they join the body; small finlets behind both the dorsal and the anal fins; and sleek, streamlined bodies with smooth, almost scaleless skins having an iridescent sheen. All members of the mackerel family are superb, swift swimmers., salmon, sardines sardine: see herring. and tuna. Any of various polyunsaturated fatty acids that are found primarily in fish, fish oils, vegetable oils, and leafy green vegetables, and that seem to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. The objectives of the current study were twofold: to see if there was a relationship between consumption of fish (which contains large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids) or consumption of meat (high in saturated fatty acids saturated fatty acid n. , which tend to raise blood cholesterol) and risk of dementia. A fatty acid, such as stearic acid, whose carbon chain contains no unsaturated linkages between carbon atoms and hence cannot incorporate any more hydrogen atoms. SEEKING AUTISTIC autistic /au·tis·tic/ (aw-tis´tik) characterized by or pertaining to autism. KIDS: University of Washington researchers are looking for families with two or more autistic children to participate in a study that seeks to uncover the genetic and neurobiological causes of autism. The study, to be conducted in California and 14 other states and financed by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, is also designed to create intervention programs for children with autism, a developmental disorder. Geraldine Dawson, director of the UW Autism Center, will lead the interdisciplinary team of researchers. Children selected for the genetic study will receive free diagnostic evaluations. Travel and hotel expenses associated with the study will be covered. The genetic testing and diagnostic evaluations will be conducted at cooperating universities and clinics in California, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. For more information on the study or to enroll, call (800) 994-9701. |
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