Fat molecules called polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFAs, can help lessen nerve damage in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study of fruit flies and cell models.
Previous studies have shown that consumption of omega-3 fatty acid, a type of PUFA, is associated with a lower risk of developing ALS as well as slower ALS progression in people with the disease. The study’s results offer a potential explanation for those associations.