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Consumption of Fish and n-3 Fatty Acids and Risk of Incident Alzheimer Disease
Martha Clare Morris, Denis A. Evans, Julia L. Bienias, Christy Tangney, David Alan Bennett, Robert S. Wilson, Neelum T. Aggarwal, Julie A. Schneider. Archives of Neurology, 2003-07-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
BACKGROUND: Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids improve brain functioning in animal studies, but there is limited study of whether this type of fat protects against Alzheimer disease. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether fish consumption and intake of different types of n-3 fatty acids protect against Alzheimer disease. DESIGN: Prospective study conducted from 1993 through 2000, of a stratified random sample from a geographically defined community. Participants were followed up for an average of 3.9 years for the development of Alzheimer disease. PATIENTS: A total of 815 residents, aged 65 to 94 years, who were initially unaffected by Alzheimer disease and completed a dietary questionnaire on average 2.3 years before clinical evaluation of incident disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incident Alzheimer disease diagnosed in a structured neurologic examination by means of standardized criteria. RESULTS: A total of 131 sample participants developed Alzheimer disease. Participants who consumed fish once per week or more had 60% less risk of Alzheimer disease compared with those who rarely or never ate fish (relative risk, 0.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.2-0.9) in a model adjusted for age and other risk factors. Total intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer disease, as was intake of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3). Eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) was not associated with Alzheimer disease. The associations remained unchanged with additional adjustment for intakes of other dietary fats and of vitamin E and for cardiovascular conditions. CONCLUSION: Dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids and weekly consumption of fish may reduce the risk of incident Alzheimer disease.
Why it matters
Followed 815 residents aged 65 to 94 for an average of 3.9 years, during which 131 developed Alzheimer's disease. Those who ate fish once a week or more had 60% less risk than those who rarely or never ate fish in an adjusted model, and the authors say dietary n-3 fatty acids and weekly fish may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
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How this study scored 51/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on strength of evidence, so that was left out: it earned 48 of the 95 points we could judge it on, which is 51 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Archives of Neurology: journal h-index 353 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | — / 5 | No evidence rating recorded — left out of this score |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2003 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,138 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 45.5 citations a year over 25 year(s) since 2003 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 50.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 57 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Julie A. Schneider: h-index 151 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Rush University Medical Center: institution h-index 670 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 12873849) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 48 / 95 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 48 of the 95 points we could judge it on is 51 out of 100. |
| Total | 51 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Morris, M. C., Evans, D. A., Bienias, J. L., Tangney, C., Bennett, D. A., Wilson, R. S., et al. (2003). Consumption of Fish and n-3 Fatty Acids and Risk of Incident Alzheimer Disease. Archives of Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.60.7.940
Vancouver
Morris MC, Evans DA, Bienias JL, Tangney C, Bennett DA, Wilson RS, et al. Consumption of Fish and n-3 Fatty Acids and Risk of Incident Alzheimer Disease. Archives of Neurology. 2003. doi:10.1001/archneur.60.7.940. PMID: 12873849.
BibTeX
@article{morris2003-12873849,
author = {Morris, Martha Clare and Evans, Denis A. and Bienias, Julia L. and Tangney, Christy and Bennett, David Alan and Wilson, Robert S. and Aggarwal, Neelum T. and Schneider, Julie A.},
title = {{Consumption of Fish and n-3 Fatty Acids and Risk of Incident Alzheimer Disease}},
journal = {Archives of Neurology},
year = {2003},
doi = {10.1001/archneur.60.7.940},
pmid = {12873849},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.60.7.940}
}
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