The blood-brain barrier protects the brain from harmful chemicals in the blood, but it also blocks drugs from reaching it. However, researchers have suggested that omega-3 fatty acid supplements can cross this barrier in Alzheimer’s patients, influencing markers for the disease and inflammation.

The researchers, from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, have published their research in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

They note that omega-3s, along with other polyunsaturated fatty acids, accumulate in the central nervous system (CNS) throughout gestation.

Although the prevailing belief is that these fatty acids are repeatedly replaced throughout life, the team says little is known about how this happens and whether diet changes can impact transportation of these acids across the blood-brain barrier.

According to the researchers, several diseases can change the fatty acid characteristics of the CNS. They cite Alzheimer’s disease patients, who normally have lower concentrations of an omega-3 called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Lead author Dr. Yvonne Freund-Levi says:

“Earlier population studies indicate that omega-3 can protect against Alzheimer’s disease, which makes it interesting to study the effects of dietary supplements containing this group of fatty acids in patients who have already developed the disease.”

As part of a larger study – the OmegAD project, which follows 204 patients with Alzheimer’s – the researchers assessed whether omega-3 supplements change the CNS fatty acid profile.