Your brain is made up primarily of fat. Omega-3 fatty acid is incorporated into your brain’s cellular walls along with other phospholipids. Omega-3 fatty acids come from our diet. They are found in cold water fish. Omega-3 is made up of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The phospholipid content of your brain is half DHA – a component found in fish oil.
Your body makes phospholipids (phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol). However, as you age, your production of phospholipids decrease. Phospholipids also contain EPA and DHA. They are fat soluble and water soluble. Phosphatidylserine is able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. It is required by the brain to protect the nerve cell membranes and myelin.
Phosphatidylserine can be taken as a supplement. My brother-in-law has early onset Alzheimer’s disease. He was given supplemental phosphatidylserine. Prior to this supplement, he was unable to tell you what year it was before we gave it to him. Afterward, he could tell you what was on television last night, and what is going to be on television tonight. This is anecdotal (a story) in nature, and cannot be taken to the bank as a cure or treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. However, I have seen it work well with friends and family. Talk to your physician about it. Research shows it as effective as Aricept without the side effects.
Phosphatidylserine supports:
● Cognitive function
● Nerve health
● Short-term memory
● Language skills
● Consolidation of long-term memory
It also supports the ability to:
● Retrieve memories and to create new memories
● Learn and recall information
● Focus attention and concentrate
● Reason and solve problems
● Communicate
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential to our health. Your body cannot make them. When the ratio of omega-6 fatty acid to omega-3 fatty acid exceeds 4:1, the omega-6 fatty acid becomes inflammatory. You control how much omega-6 fatty acid you consume by the choices of food you eat. You can control the inflammation associated with excessive omega-6 fatty acids.