ArticleNeurology2012
Red blood cell ω-3 fatty acid levels and markers of accelerated brain aging.
Article in Neurology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 118 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
118 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 258 citations in OpenAlex.
- Characterization of White Matter Hyperintensities in Large-Scale MRI-Studies.Frontiers in neurology · 2019Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Trial
- Trial
- Effect of APOE Genotype on Plasma Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Arachidonic Acid, and Hippocampal Volume in the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study-Sponsored DHA Clinical Trial.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2020Trial
- Auraptene in the Peels of Citrus Kawachiensis (Kawachibankan) Contributes to the Preservation of Cognitive Function: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Study in Healthy Volunteers.The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease · 2018Trial
- Bioavailability of Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acids Added to a Variety of Sausages in Healthy Individuals.Nutrients · 2017Trial
- Omega-3 Supplementation and the Neural Correlates of Negative Affect and Impulsivity: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial in Midlife Adults.Psychosomatic medicine · 2017Trial
- Vascular biomarkers to predict response to exercise in Alzheimer's disease: the study protocol.BMJ open · 2016Trial
- Fish Oil Supplementation Increases Event-Related Posterior Cingulate Activation in Older Adults with Subjective Memory Impairment.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2016Trial
- Higher RBC EPA + DHA corresponds with larger total brain and hippocampal volumes: WHIMS-MRI study.Neurology · 2014Trial
- Food-Derived Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Cognitive Aging: Integrating Nutritional Neuroscience and Geroscience.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Alzheimer's Disease: Toward a New Understanding of Neuroprotective Mechanisms and Intervention Strategies.Marine drugs · 2026Review
- The association between omega-3 supplementation and cognitive decline in older adults.The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease · 2026Article
- Article
- Precision nutrition in epigenetic aging: SHAP-optimized machine learning identifies omega-3 constituent-specific associations with aging biomarkers.Biogerontology · 2025Article
- Deep and periventricular white matter hyperintensities exhibit differential metabolic profiles in arteriosclerotic cerebral small vessel disease: an untargeted metabolomics study.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Article
- Effects of APOE4 on omega-3 brain metabolism across the lifespan.Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM · 2024Review
- Short-term dietary changes are reflected in the cerebral content of adult ring-billed gulls.Royal Society open science · 2024Article
- Concurrent nutrient deficiencies are associated with dementia incidence.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2024Article
58 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveHigher dietary intake and circulating levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) have been related to a reduced risk for dementia, but the pathways underlying this association remain unclear. We examined the cross-sectional relation of red blood cell (RBC) fatty acid levels to subclinical imaging and cognitive markers of dementia risk in a middle-aged to elderly community-based cohort.
methodsWe related RBC DHA and EPA levels in dementia-free Framingham Study participants (n = 1575; 854 women, age 67 ± 9 years) to performance on cognitive tests and to volumetric brain MRI, with serial adjustments for age, sex, and education (model A, primary model), additionally for APOE ε4 and plasma homocysteine (model B), and also for physical activity and body mass index (model C), or for traditional vascular risk factors (model D).
resultsParticipants with RBC DHA levels in the lowest quartile (Q1) when compared to others (Q2-4) had lower total brain and greater white matter hyperintensity volumes (for model A: β ± SE = -0.49 ± 0.19; p = 0.009, and 0.12 ± 0.06; p = 0.049, respectively) with persistence of the association with total brain volume in multivariable analyses. Participants with lower DHA and ω-3 index (RBC DHA+EPA) levels (Q1 vs. Q2-4) also had lower scores on tests of visual memory (β ± SE = -0.47 ± 0.18; p = 0.008), executive function (β ± SE = -0.07 ± 0.03; p = 0.004), and abstract thinking (β ± SE = -0.52 ± 0.18; p = 0.004) in model A, the results remaining significant in all models.
conclusionLower RBC DHA levels are associated with smaller brain volumes and a "vascular" pattern of cognitive impairment even in persons free of clinical dementia.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.