Revolutionary Omega-3 Formula Could Be Key to Preventing Alzheimer’s Vision Loss

Researchers have created the first-ever form of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that can enter the retina of the eye to prevent visual declines caused by Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and other conditions.

In a press release, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology said that the DHA found in fish oil capsules and other supplements is usually triacylglycerol (TAG) DHA. TAG-DHA is beneficial elsewhere in the body, but it can’t get into the eyes because it can’t pass through the bloodstream and into the retina. LPC-DHA, a novel lysophospholipid form of DHA, was developed for the study. LPC-DHA successfully increased DHA in the retina and reduced eye problems associated with Alzheimer’s-like processes in studies conducted on mice.

Sugasini Dhavamani, a research assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, stated in the news release, “Dietary LPC-DHA is enormously superior to TAG-DHA in enriching retinal DHA and could be potentially beneficial for various retinopathies in patients.” Retinal dysfunction caused by diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease can be prevented or mitigated using this novel therapeutic strategy.

As per the news discharge, in sound eyes, DHA is gathered in the retina, where it keeps up with photoreceptors, the phones that convert light into signals that are shipped off the mind. DHA lack in the retina is related with vision misfortune. Visual impairments are common in people with Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, retinitis pigmentosa, age-related macular degeneration, and peroxisomal disorders who frequently have abnormally low levels of retinal DHA.

Increasing the amount of DHA in the retina has been difficult with the supplements that are currently available, despite the fact that increasing DHA can assist in preventing such declines. DHA must be able to pass from the intestine into the bloodstream and then into the retina in order for a dietary supplement to deliver it to the retina.

According to Dhavamani, “the specificity of the blood–retinal barrier that is incompatible with the specificity of the intestinal barrier has not been possible until now to increase the retinal DHA at clinically feasible doses.” The novel approach of dietary LPC-DHA, which crosses the intestinal and blood-retinal barriers and enhances retinal function, is utilized in this study.

The LPC-DHA supplement was tested in mice that had been bred to have processes that were similar to those in early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. After six months, mice fed LPC-DHA daily maintained retinal structure and function while also achieving a 96% increase in DHA content. TAG-DHA supplements, on the other hand, had no effect on the levels or function of DHA in the retina.

The findings suggest that LPC-DHA supplements may aid in the prevention of visual function declines caused by Alzheimer’s disease. The method, according to the researchers, should also be useful for treating other conditions where DHA deficiency and vision impairment are common.

In humans, the study’s dosage of LPC-DHA is approximately 250 to 500 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids per day. LPC-DHA’s safety and efficacy for human use would require additional research given that these studies were carried out in mice.

An Alzheimer’s Association Research Grant (AARG) supported this work.