However, dementia is a nervous system condition that is result of definite degenerative lesions to the brain. Particularly common among senior citizens aged 65 and
older, it is a clinic syndrome that leads to impairments in professional, social, and
interpersonal activities as a result of disorders in memory, judgment, and thinking
functions. It can also occur before the age of 65 as a result of traumatic head
injuries, cerebrovascular disorders, and various metabolic disorders. Many were
shocked to learn that after developing Alzheimer’s disease, Ronald Reagan
reportedly forgot that he had even been President of the United States. In South
Korea, family discord as a result of dementia has emerged as a serious social issue
(Summers et al. 1986).
Improvements in senile dementia have been reported from the administration of
DHA (an unsaturated fatty acid abundant in fish) as a health food. Previously,
animal tests involving the administration of DHA showed improvements in brain
functioning; recent reports also indicate outstanding results in improving human
brain functions. In Japan, clinical testing was performed on the brain functioning
improvement effects of DHA in 13 individuals aged 57–94 who had been hospitalized for dementia and another five with Alzheimer’s disease. For half a year,
patients received daily oral administration of 10–20 DHA capsules (70 mg) of
DHA produced by a Japanese pharmaceutical company. Ten out of thirteen patients
with cerebrovascular dementia were reported in the Japanese press as showing
increased will to live and decreased fancies, while slight improvements were also
reported in the willpower, interpersonal relations, and composure of the five Alzheimer’s patients.
Indirect testing of intellectual functioning has shown gradual declines in brain
functioning for patients who were not given DHA, whereas patients administered
DHA showed improvements in mathematical ability and judgment over the course
of half a year. No side effects were reported except in the case of one patient who
suffered stomach pain due to excess fat consumption.
According to the research team, the activity of living nerve cells increases as
DHA enters the brains of dementia patients whose neurons are partially dying off.
For this reason, DHA may be viewed as an effective agent in improvement and
prevention, but not as a basic treatment for dementia. The increase in senile
dementia in Japan is seen by some as related to changes in eating habits, as
fish-based diets are replaced with meat-centered ones. South Korea is experiencing
a similar shift, and the prevalence of dementia-related symptoms appears likely to
increase. In addition to dementia improvement effects, clinical testing has also
shown a 50% improvement rate among pediatric atopic dermatitis patients, and
various other forms of clinic tests are being performed as well. More reliable
research findings in the future appear likely to testify even more to the usefulness
and effectiveness of DHA as a health food (Kim 2018).
E. Importance in Preventive Medicine
As a food nutrient, DHA may also be expected to exhibit pharmacological activity
as a medicine. While its effects may be seen as similar to other nutrients that have
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8 Developing Functional Materials with Marine Organisms
older, it is a clinic syndrome that leads to impairments in professional, social, and
interpersonal activities as a result of disorders in memory, judgment, and thinking
functions. It can also occur before the age of 65 as a result of traumatic head
injuries, cerebrovascular disorders, and various metabolic disorders. Many were
shocked to learn that after developing Alzheimer’s disease, Ronald Reagan
reportedly forgot that he had even been President of the United States. In South
Korea, family discord as a result of dementia has emerged as a serious social issue
(Summers et al. 1986).
Improvements in senile dementia have been reported from the administration of
DHA (an unsaturated fatty acid abundant in fish) as a health food. Previously,
animal tests involving the administration of DHA showed improvements in brain
functioning; recent reports also indicate outstanding results in improving human
brain functions. In Japan, clinical testing was performed on the brain functioning
improvement effects of DHA in 13 individuals aged 57–94 who had been hospitalized for dementia and another five with Alzheimer’s disease. For half a year,
patients received daily oral administration of 10–20 DHA capsules (70 mg) of
DHA produced by a Japanese pharmaceutical company. Ten out of thirteen patients
with cerebrovascular dementia were reported in the Japanese press as showing
increased will to live and decreased fancies, while slight improvements were also
reported in the willpower, interpersonal relations, and composure of the five Alzheimer’s patients.
Indirect testing of intellectual functioning has shown gradual declines in brain
functioning for patients who were not given DHA, whereas patients administered
DHA showed improvements in mathematical ability and judgment over the course
of half a year. No side effects were reported except in the case of one patient who
suffered stomach pain due to excess fat consumption.
According to the research team, the activity of living nerve cells increases as
DHA enters the brains of dementia patients whose neurons are partially dying off.
For this reason, DHA may be viewed as an effective agent in improvement and
prevention, but not as a basic treatment for dementia. The increase in senile
dementia in Japan is seen by some as related to changes in eating habits, as
fish-based diets are replaced with meat-centered ones. South Korea is experiencing
a similar shift, and the prevalence of dementia-related symptoms appears likely to
increase. In addition to dementia improvement effects, clinical testing has also
shown a 50% improvement rate among pediatric atopic dermatitis patients, and
various other forms of clinic tests are being performed as well. More reliable
research findings in the future appear likely to testify even more to the usefulness
and effectiveness of DHA as a health food (Kim 2018).
E. Importance in Preventive Medicine
As a food nutrient, DHA may also be expected to exhibit pharmacological activity
as a medicine. While its effects may be seen as similar to other nutrients that have
270
8 Developing Functional Materials with Marine Organisms