Consumption of oily fish has already been demonstrated to confer a wide range of health benefits– as a brain food, in preventing asthma, in heart health, etc. Here’s another one to add to the list: eating oily fish once a week may reduce your risk of becoming blind in your sunset years due to (wet) age-related macular degeneration.
A team of researchers across seven European countries and co-ordinated by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine sought to investigate the association between fish intake and omega 3 fatty acids with wet AMD, comparing people with wet AMD with controls. Participants …read more

Fish oil supplements are known for their health benefits, not only in cardiovascular health, but also possibly in aging-related maladies such as Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, a recent study reveals that the intake of fish oil during late pregnancy may also prevent the development of asthma in children.
Under the assumption that intake of olive oil in the dose provided here was inert, our results support that increasing omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in late pregnancy may carry an important prophylactic potential in relation to offspring asthma.”
In fact, the hazard rate for children of mothers consuming fish oil supplements during the …read more

A study published in FASEB adds to the increasing evidence that eating the right foods can help you get smarter.
In the study, gerbils were given various combinations of three compounds needed for healthy brain membranes: choline, found in eggs; uridine monophosphate (UMP) found in beets; and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), found in fish oils. Other gerbils were given none of these to serve as a baseline. Then they were checked for cognitive changes four weeks later. The scientists found that the gerbils given choline with UMP and/or DHA showed cognitive improvements in tasks thought to be relevant to gerbils, such as …read more

Ooops, it’s already the middle of the week and not a single new entry here at Eating Fabulous. Sorry for that. My two month old daughter has been admitted to the hospital for bronchiolitis. She’s ok now, but what concerns me is this, especially because asthma runs in our family:
Kids who have had bronchiolitis may be more likely to develop asthma later in life, but it’s unclear whether the illness causes or triggers asthma, or whether children who eventually develop asthma were simply more prone to developing bronchiolitis as infants. Studies are being done to clarify the relationship between bronchiolitis …read more

Food technologists at Proteus Industries have developed a fish-protein based coating, which can be sprayed onto food or mixed into a batter, so that they absorb less fat during cooking.
The protein solution is extracted from fish muscle. When coated onto the fish it forms a barrier, locking in taste and moisture, but blocking out fat and carbohydrates. “These protein molecules after we treat them and extract them the way we do, they form these very, very, micro-thin films that — when they are sprayed onto the surface — become this invisible, impenetrable, film that forms on the surface,” Kelleher says.
The …read more

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially those of the omega-3 series (EPA and DHA from fish), are known for their anti-inflammatory activity. This effect is important for the prevention/treatment of various chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease or rheumatoid arthritis. The latest paper by the group of Francesco Visioli (Universite “Pierre et Marie Curie”, Paris) now adds a new piece to the puzzle of how PUFA exert their beneficial activity in the cardiovascular system: by lowering the load of potentially deleterious oxidative and nitrosative stress.
“In conclusion, based on in vivo data showing reduced excretion of lipid peroxidation products, namely isoprostanes, after …read more

If you’re pregnant, you should already know how important it is to include fatty fish in your diet. Here’s another report reinforcing that: Omega-3 Intake During Last Months Of Pregnancy Boosts An Infant’s Cognitive And Motor Development.
Apparently, babies’ visual acuity as well as their cognitive and motor development were closely linked to DHA concentration in the umbilical cord blood at the time of their birth. This emphasizes how important a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids is, particularly during the last trimester when the fetus undergoes crucial retinal and brain development.
“A diet rich in omega-3s during pregnancy can’t be …read more

Breastmilk is best for babies, no argument about that. However, if for some reason, you have to use infant formula, make sure it is fortified with DHA omega-3 and AA omega-6 to guarantee a correct eye and brain development, according to the latest recommendations published by international experts in the Journal of Perinatal Medicine. If you are nursing your child, then you must make sure there’s adequate amounts of these compounds in your diet by eating oily fish (rich in DHA) and meat, eggs and milk (rich in AA).
Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, is a long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid, or …read more

In the Mayo Clinic Proceedings is an article reviewing current the most recent research findings on the cardiovascular benefits associated with omega-3 fatty acids.
Who benefits most from their cardio-protective effects? What is recommended administration– eat fatty fish or take fish oil supplements? How much fish oil do people need to put into their diets? Are there possible adverse effects to fish oil consumption?
These and more are discussed in detail in the article. Here’s the abstract:
The most compelling evidence for the cardiovascular benefit provided by omega-3 fatty acids comes from 3 large controlled trials of 32,000 participants randomized to receive omega-3 …read more

Valentine’s Day is coming up and I thought it’s the perfect opportunity to bring up the topic of aphrodisiacs once again (remember my entry on chili-hot chocolates?). Did you know that there have been scientific studies backing the claim that Casanova’s reputation may well have been enhanced by his oyster breakfasts?
Until recently, there was no scientific basis for that belief, Fisher added. But what he and his colleagues have discovered is that mussels, clams and oysters contain compounds that have been shown to be effective in releasing sexual hormones such as testosterone and oestrogen. These compounds are D-aspartic acid and …read more