Fish Consumption Called Key to Human Brain - May 2001

 The May 3 issue of Science, reporting on a 10-14 April meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropology in Buffalo, New York, says that early man relied on fish and shellfish consumption for "the kind of diet that must have supported human's dramatic brain expansion." The article, "human's Head Start: New Views of Brain Evolution" went on to say, "That's because humans, intelligent though we may be, are literally fatheads: About 60% of the brain's structural material is lipids, almost all of it in the form of two long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA), respectively known as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. So when a fetus's brain is developing, a lack of DHA and AA is 'catastrophic'… These acids are vital to brain growth and function after birth, too. Infant humans and other mammals that lack these fatty acids show reduced cognitive ability and vision problems…. In adults, new data suggest that depletion of these acids may be linked to attention deficit disorders, dyslexia, senile dementia, schizophrenia, and other problems…"
Science, May 3, 2001