Startling science: Taking an omega-3 supplement doesn’t boost memory or cognition – CTV
June 19, 2026
If you’re taking an omega-3 fish oil or algae supplement to stave off Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, take note: A new clinical trial finds these supplements did nothing to improve memory, cognition or brain cell loss.
“Omega-3 supplements as a blunt instrument do not work,” said lead study author Dr. Hussein Yassine, the Volke Endowed Professor of Neurology at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles.
“Even when we saw high levels of omega-3 in the brains of the treatment group, it did not improve cognition,” said Yassine, who directs Keck’s Center for Personalized Brain Health.
What does work? Optimizing your health with exercise, stress reduction, quality sleep and a plant-based diet while adding omega-3s from fatty fish, nuts and seeds, he said.
“In the Mediterranean, high omega-3 levels are very strong predictors of good cognition,” Yassine said. “But people in the Mediterranean are not popping supplements. They’re eating fatty fish, exercising, meeting with friends and living slowly with less stress.
