Waterford-based scientist defends dementia fish oil study

A Waterford-based scientist has defended research findings after UK-based critics described as “too small to be reliable” a study which suggested giving patients with Alzheimer’s disease antioxidant therapy with fish oil could slow down the progress of the disease.

Professor John Nolan said the trial, involving 25 Alzheimer’s patients, was “a stepping stone”. His acknowledgement of the study’s limitations states “the number of subjects in each trial for this report was small and therefore our findings must only be viewed as preliminary”.

“The findings presented here will need to be confirmed by a larger powered sample, and with appropriately definite outcome measures and study design,” he wrote in the June edition of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.