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Chicago: India's fish eating population has something to cheer about.

A new research presented at Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Congress says that consuming baked or broiled fish reduces the risk for five-year decline to mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimers disease by almost five-fold.

The results showed that people who consumed baked or broiled fish at least once a week had better preservation of grey matter volume on MRI in brain areas at risk for Alzheimers disease.
This is the first major study to link fish consumption with reduction in risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI), said lead author Cyrus Raji from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
The findings showed that consumption of baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis was positively associated with grey matter volumes in several areas of the brain.Greater hippocampal, posterior cingulated and orbital frontal cortex volumes in relation to fish consumption were recorded, he added.

The results also demonstrated increased levels of cognition in people who ate baked or broiled fish.
In MCI, memory loss is present, but to a lesser extent than in Alzheimers. People with MCI often go on to develop Alzheimers.
Grey matter volume is crucial to brain health. When it remains higher, brain health is being maintained. Decrease in grey matter volume indicate that brain cells are shrinking.
For the study, 260 cognitively normal individuals were selected. Information on fish consumption was gathered. There were 163 patients who consumed fish on a weekly basis and the majority ate fish one to four times a week. Each patient underwent 3-D volumetric MRI of the brain.