It's known that sufferers of this disease have abnormally low DHA levels in their brain cells. If DHA levels are correspondingly low in their blood, DHA could be used as a reliable marker for the disease, says Conquer. She's working with Dr. Mary Tierney of Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, Canada, who will be collecting blood samples from patients there. "Alzheimer's disease is still very hard to diagnose," says Conquer. "Researchers are continually looking for a blood marker for the disease, but there's still nothing out there that's reliable and easy to measure." That's what makes DHA so appealing -- it is easy to measure. The brain is high in DHA, a fatty acid required for normal brain development and activity. In healthy people, certain parts of the brain contain %24 DHA. In Alzheimer's patients, those brain cells have only %13 DHA.

Conquer hopes to show that the blood of Alzheimer's patients is also low in DHA. Over the next two years, samples will be taken from four groups of outpatients at Sunnybrook. The blood DHA levels of Alzheimer's patients will be compared with those of three other groups -- patients with other forms of dementia but who aren't cognitively impaired, patients who are cognitively impaired but aren't suffering from dementia, and healthy people. If Conquer's studies show there's a significant difference between the blood DHA levels of Alzheimer's patients and the control group, DHA supplementation could be considered next. Few studies have assessed the risks or benefits of supplemental DHA for Alzheimers's patients. Some suggest a positive role for DHA supplementation in other neurological disorders. Conquer is hopeful that her study will lead to further investigation of this issue.

"If we could show differences in blood levels of DHA, then we'd have more reason to try DHA supplementation for Alzheimer's disease patients in the future," she says. This research is being funded by The Scottish Rite Charitable Foundation.

Reference: Christina Clark: Making a mark on Alzheimer's. At Guelph, vol. 41, no. 11, p. 6. Canada:University of Guelph, May 7, 1997.

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