Speaking at the annual Alzheimer's Research Trust conference in London last week, Professor John Harwood, from the University of Cardiff, said research had shown that increasing dietary intake of omega-3s could halve the risk of developing Alzheimer's.
"We are currently carrying out studies in mice that have been fed a diet enriched with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the active ingredient found in omega-3," he said.
"The mice on the DHA diet did better in cognitive tests compared with mice that were not on the enriched diet We are working on the hypothesis that this is down to the anti-inflammatory properties of DHA."
Professor Harwood told GP that patients should be encouraged to consume omega-3s, in the form of oily fish, from early age.
"This is something that patients can do relatively easily and cheaply and should help to lower the risk of Alzheimer's.
"Omega-3 has clear benefits in reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and arthritis, so it cannot do any harm to increase your intake."
Current NICE guidance advises people at risk of, or who have, C VD to eat at least one portion of oily fish a week.
