Add one more study to the list of those backing the health benefits of increased Omega-3 fatty acid intake.

People with elevated levels of Omega-3 fatty acids have larger brain volumes in old age, with the higher volumes “equivalent to preserving one to two years of brain health,” according to a new study published in the online issue of Neurology.

The larger brain size is correlated to brain health.  Low brain volumes are associated with Alzheimer’s disease, normal aging and brain deterioration.

“These higher levels of fatty acids can be achieved through diet and the use of supplements,” says study author James V. Pottala, PhD, of the University of South Dakota, in a statement. “And the results suggest that the effect on brain volume is the equivalent of delaying the normal loss of brain cells that comes with aging by one to two years.”

Omega-3 levels were measured in more than a thousand women as part of a Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study. Eight years later, MRI scans were taken to measure brain volume in the women when they were an average age of 78.

The study found that women with higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids had larger brain volumes than those who didn’t.

According to the statement, “Those with higher levels of Omega-3s also had a 2.7 percent larger volume in the hippocampus area of the brain, which plays an important role in memory. In Alzheimer’s disease, the hippocampus begins to atrophy even before symptoms appear.”

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids that we need for our bodies to function normally.

“We need omega-3 fatty acids for numerous normal body functions, such as controlling blood clotting and building cell membranes in the brain, and since our bodies cannot make omega-3 fats, we must get them through food,” Dr. Frank Sacks, Professor of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention writes on Harvard’s Public Health page. “Omega-3 fatty acids are also associated with many health benefits, including protection against heart disease and possibly stroke. New studies are identifying potential benefits for a wide range of conditions including cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and other autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.”

Omega-3 has been found to have other benefits as well.

A few weeks ago, another study revealed that high concentrations of Omega-3 fatty acids could help reduce the risk of Type-2 Diabetes.

That study, published in Diabetes Care claimed the new finding, “sheds new light on the association between fish consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes. A well-balanced diet should include at least two fish meals per week, preferably fatty fish. Fish rich in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, rainbow trout, vendace, bream, herring, anchovy, sardine and mackerel, whereas for example saithe and Atlantic cod are not so good alternatives. Weight management, increased exercise and a well-rounded diet built around dietary recommendations constitute the cornerstones of diabetes prevention.”