Dietary Fish Oil Modestly Attenuates the Effect of Age on Diastolic Function but Has No Effect on Memory or Brain Inflammation in Aged Rats

Fish oil (FO) mediates a number of cardioprotective benefits in patients with cardiovascular disease. In the absence of cardiovascular disease, however, the effects of FO on cardiac structure and function are not clear. In addition, it is not known if an effective dosing strategy for attenuating age-related cardiac dysfunction is also effective at limiting cognitive dysfunction. Therefore, we determined if 4 months of FO supplementation in aged rats would lessen age-related cardiac dysfunction while concomitantly preventing the cognitive decline that is normally observed in this population. The results indicate that FO initiated late in life modifies diastolic function in a small but positive way by attenuating the age-related increases in filling pressure, posterior wall thickness, and interstitial collagen without mitigating age-related deficits in memory or increases in brain inflammation. These data raise the possibility that FO supplementation for purposes of cardiac and brain protection may need to occur earlier in the life span.