Omega-3 fatty acids may help healthy young adults to further improve their working memory, says a new study from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh. For the study the researchers recruited a group of healthy young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 and monitored them by phone for six months as they increased their omega-3 intake.
Each of the subjects were given a baseline test of their working memory at the beginning of the study. By the end of the six month period the researchers saw a significant improvement in the subjects ability to recall a series of letters and numbers.
"Before seeing this data, I would have said it was impossible to move young healthy individuals above their cognitive best," said lead researcher Bita Moghaddam. "We found that members of this population can enhance their working memory performance even further, despite their already being at the top of their cognitive game."
Their data was published this week in PLOS One and fellow researcher Rajesh Narendarn adds:
"It is really interesting that diets enriched with Omega-3 fatty acid can enhance cognition in highly functional young individuals. Nevertheless, it was a bit disappointing that our imaging studies were unable to clarify the mechanisms by which it enhances working memory."
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