14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists at the Loyola University Chicago say that, according to evidence at hand, fish oil consumption could benefit people who have a history of alcohol abuse.
More precisely, the researchers argue that fish oil has high chances to prove effective in terms of keeping alcohol-related dementia at bay.
Speaking at the 14th Congress of the European Society for Biomedical Researcher on Alcoholism in Warsaw, the scientists detailed the outcome of a series of experiments carried out on adult rat brain cells.
They said that, when cells exposed to high concentrations of alcohol (i.e. about four times the legal limit for driving) were given a compound commonly found in fish oil, their levels of inflammation and death rates remained fairly low.
By comparison, the researchers documented about 90% more neuro-inflammation and neuronal death in the rat brain cells that were only exposed to alcohol, Newswise reports.
The compound used in these experiments is known to the scientific community as omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
Commenting on the results of these experiments, researcher Michael A. Collins, PhD said that, “Fish oil has the potential of helping preserve brain integrity in abusers. At the very least, it wouldn’t hurt them.”
Michael A. Collins and his fellow researchers warn that further investigations on the matter at hand are needed, and that, for the time being, they cannot say for sure that omega-3 fish oil does in fact protect against alcohol-related dementia.
They also say that, despite the encouraging outcome of this series of experiments, people should not take up the habit of “seasoning” their drinks with fish oil supplements in the hope that this would help keep them safe from alcohol-related medical issues.
“We don’t want people to think it’s okay to take a few fish oil capsules and then continue to go on abusing alcohol,” the scientists wished to stress.