Effect of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid supplementations to control cognitive decline in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: a systematic review

Resumo

There is a lack of consensus on the benefits of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementations on cognition in dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease (AD) elderly. This study presents a systematic review of the results of randomized clinical trials about this topic. The adopted search criteria were randomized clinical trials involving elderly over 65 years of age with no limit to the year of publication of the study. We identified 139 articles, and from the eligible ones a reverse search was conducted. The quality of the trials was assessed using the Jadad scale. Of the four selected studies, three were related to mild to moderate AD elderly, of both genders. Mini Mental State Examination, Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale Cognitive, and Clinical Dementia Rate were the main tests used to assess cognitive performance. EPA and/or DHA supplementations did not affect scores obtained on the cognitive tests. However, supplementation with EPA and/or DHA improved verbal fluency and attention in patients who had only very mild dementia or AD or presented APOEε4 negative genotype. In case of advanced AD elderly patients, EPA and/or DHA supplementations did not reduce cognitive decline rates.
No existe consenso sobre los benefícios de la suplementación con ácido eicosapentaenoico (EPA) y ácido docosahexaenoico (DHA) sobre la cognición de las personas mayores con demencia y/o Alzheimer. Esta revisión sistemática muestra los resultados de ensayos clínicos randomizados al respecto. Se realizó una búsqueda de ensayos clínicos randomizados llevados a cabo en personas mayores de 65 años, sin estabelecer límites en cuanto al año de publicación. Se identificaron 139 artículos y a partir de los artículos candidatos se llevó a cabo una búsqueda inversa. La calidad de los ensayos clínicos aleatorios se evaluó mediante la escala de Jadad. De los cuatro estudios seleccionados, tres valoraban ancianos, con diagnóstico de enfermedad de Alzheimer de leve a moderada, en ambos sexos. Mini Examen del Estado Mental, Enfermedad de Alzheimer, Escala de Evaluación Cognitiva y Tasa Clínica de Demencia fueron los principales test utilizados para estudiar el rendimiento cognitivo.

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N-3 fatty acids, Dietary supplements, Cogni- tion, Alzheimer disease, Dementia

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