Washington: People eating a fishy meal are likely to improve their brain health and stave off the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

"This is the first study to establish a direct relationship between fish consumption, brain structure and Alzheimer's risk," said Cyrus Raji, from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre.

"The results showed that people who consumed baked or broiled fish at least one time per week had better preservation of grey matter volume on MRI in brain areas at risk for Alzheimer's disease," said Raji. It also "promotes stronger neurons (brain cells)", he added.

Alzheimer's disease is an incurable, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and cognitive skills. As many as 5.1 million Americans may have Alzheimer's disease, according to a Pittsburgh statement.

In mild cognitive impairment (MCI), memory loss is present but to a lesser extent than in Alzheimer's. These people go on to develop full blown Alzheimer's.

The study analysed 260 cognitively normal individuals from the Cardiovascular Health
Study. There were 163 patients who consumed fish on a weekly basis, and the majority ate fish one to four times per week.

"This simple lifestyle choice increases the brain's resistance to Alzheimer's disease and lowers risk for the disorder."

Eating fried fish, on the other hand, was not shown to increase brain volume or protect against cognitive decline. These findings were presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).