The latest study to link healthy brain functioning with oily fish consumption comes from Scotland. Between 2000 and 2001, Aberdeen University's Professor Lawrence Whalley followed up 300 people whose mental ability had been tested at the age of 11 as part of the Scottish Mental Survey of 1947.
The scientists recorded cognitive ability, diet, food supplement use and risk factors for cardiovascular disease and compared people who took fish oils with those who did not. They found that omega 3 fatty acid, which is abundant in oily fish, slowed down brain ageing by up to two years and helped them score on average 13% more in IQ tests. Fish oil users were also less likely to show early signs of Alzheimer's disease.
