DHA Helps Alzheimers Patients Gain Weight

In the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), patients lose weight, and continue to lose weight as the disease progresses and appetite wanes. Researchers from Karolinksa University Hospital Huddinge in Stockholm studied the effect of fish oil supplementation on the weight and appetite of patients with mild to moderate AD.

In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 204 subjects with mild to moderate AD were given 0.7 grams of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 0.6 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), or a placebo for six months.

After this six-month period, the supplement group had gained 1.5 lbs; the placebo group's weight remained unchanged.

For the next six months, both groups took the supplements. Results showed that subjects who took the omega-3 supplements for the full year gained 3 lbs. Those in the original placebo group who only took omega-3 supplements for the final six months also gained weight following supplementation. Appetite improved for both groups receiving fish oil supplements.

Although the difference in weight gain between the two groups was not deemed statistically significant, researchers concluded that “a DHA-enriched omega-3 supplement may positively affect weight and appetite in patients with mild to moderate AD.”