Fish oil has long been praised as a brain-booster and healthful nutrient, but new research suggests the story may be more complicated.
It follows a study where scientists found that in people with repeated mild head injuries, a key omega-3 fatty acid in fish oil – EPA – may actually interfere with the brain’s ability to heal itself.
Instead of helping recovery, it weakens blood vessel stability, disrupts healing signals, and even contributes to harmful protein buildup associated with cognitive decline.
A new study led by neuroscientist Onder Alberam, a member of the National Trauma Society Committee, and his team, led by the Medical University of South Carolina, focused on the biological processes involved in the repair of blood vessels in the brain after injury.
Researchers reported that interest in omega-3 fatty acids, the main component of fish oil, is increasing rapidly.
according to fortune business insightsThese supplements are now appearing not only in capsules but also in drinks, dairy alternatives and snack products.
That surge in popularity came as no surprise to Alberam. “Fish oil supplements are available everywhere, and people take them for a variety of reasons, often without a clear understanding of their long-term effects,” he said.
“But in terms of neuroscience, we still don’t know whether the brain has resilience or resistance to this supplement. That’s why our study is the first such study in this field.”
Researchers conducted some model research and found that higher levels of EPA in the brain were associated with poorer repair after injury.
In simple terms, this means that changes in how cells use energy may reduce the brain’s ability to recover under certain conditions, and this vulnerability appears to be linked to a buildup of eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, one of the main omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil.
Additionally, the research was originally published in the journal Eicosapentaenoic acid reprograms cerebrovascular metabolism and impairs repair after brain injury, with relevance to chronic traumatic encephalopathy..
