Results of a new study led by researchers at the University College London’s (UCL) UK Dementia Research Institute and the UCL Institute of Healthy Aging showed that increasing the levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the brain cells of fruit flies with a certain gene mutation had a “dramatic” increase in their survival.
The study — Neuronal polyunsaturated fatty acids are protective in ALS/FTD — was published in the Feb. 25 edition of Nature Neuroscience, and refers to the impact on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
A Feb. 25 UCL announcement said the C9orf72 gene mutation found in the brain cells of the fruit flies in the study is “the most common genetic cause of MND [motor neuron disease] and a rare form of dementia, known as FTD.” ALS is a type of MND.
“Cells were also collected from people with these conditions and converted into brain cells in the lab,” UCL said. “Health fats also increased the survival of these MND/FTD brain cells.”
“Epidemiological studies suggest that people with a high intake of omega-3 fatty acids have a lower risk of developing motor neuron disease,” said lead researcher Adrian Isaacs of the UK Dementia Research Institute. “From our findings we can conclude that enhancing levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the brain may be beneficial in motor neuron disease.
“Of course, the next step is to test this in people. We first need to work out which specific fatty acid would be best to test in humans, and how we can deliver sufficient quantities to the brain. Then, we want to take these findings forward into a clinical trial.”
The American Heart Association said polyunsaturated fats can be found in high levels in foods such as fatty fish (e.g., black cod, salmon, herring); nuts and seeds (e.g., walnuts, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds); tofu and soybeans; and vegetable oils such as canola, corn, soybean, and sunflower.
