Dietary Supplement for the Prevention of Cognitive Decline in a Very Elderly Population.

Field Trial With Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation for the Prevention of Cognitive Decline in a Very Elderly Population

The purpose of this study is to determine whether an omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is effective in the prevention of progressive cognitive decline in elderly people aged 75 years or older.

Participants are residents at three nursing homes in Pamplona (Spain). We assumed that 20% of elderly people have a cognitive decline and we estimated a 5% of cognitive decline in the intervention group. Sample size estimated was 85 participants for each arm, assuming two groups with an alpha of 0.05, 80% power and accounting for 10% of participants lost to follow-up.

Repeated measures ANOVA, Cox regression and multiple linear regression analysis will be used for the statistical analysis of data.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Elderly people aged 75 years or older
• Global Deterioration Scale < 4
• Capacity to complete the tests

Exclusion Criteria:

• Neurological, physical or psychiatry conditions, obtained from the medical history, that may have an influence on the cognitive function.
• Dementia
• History of epilepsy, convulsions