Taking This Supplement Could Improve Your Memory, New Study Suggests — Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

A new study suggests that a diet rich in highly processed foods may lead to memory loss, but adding docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplements could fight these harmful effects.

In the study, published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, researchers from Ohio State University examined how feeding rats a highly processed diet for four weeks impacted their memory.

However, when they supplemented their diets with DHA—an omega-3 fatty acid commonly found in fish and other seafood—the rats did not show any memory impairments.

"Since DHA has strong anti-inflammatory effects, it is likely that this anti-inflammatory effect on the brain protected their memory function," senior study author Ruth M!

One 2013 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, for instance, found that DHA supplements had a positive impact on the memory of healthy, young adults!

While DHA helped combat memory loss in rats in this study, the nutrient did not protect against the other health consequences of eating a highly processed diet.