Older women with more EPA in their red blood cells tend to think a bit slower, but this isn't because EPA itself affects the brain—it's probably just because they recently ate more fish. Once you account for how much fish they've eaten lately, the link disappears.

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Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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55

Cognitive performance in older adults is inversely associated with fish consumption but not erythrocyte membrane n-3 fatty acids.

Cross-Sectional Study

Human

2014 Mar

The study found that older women with more EPA in their blood performed worse on some thinking tests—but only if they’d recently eaten a lot of fish. When researchers accounted for recent fish eating, the EPA link vanished, meaning EPA isn’t causing slower thinking—it’s just a sign of what they ate lately.

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Source Study

Cognitive performance in older adults is inversely associated with fish consumption but not erythrocyte membrane n-3 fatty acids.

Score: 55

DOI: 10.3945/jn.113.175695

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