Blisstree » seafoods

Which Fish is Safe to Eat?

ruth — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 17:31:11 +0000

Although it has been suggested that the benefits of eating fish on cardiovascular health and mortality far outweighs the risks due to environmental pollutants, I suppose that is assuming one eats a variety of fish types. If you eat bluefin tuna this week and sardines next week, that’s better than always eating bluefin tuna, a type of fish you are advised to consume only one serving per month.

So how do you know which fish types to avoid, which ones are good for you, and how many servings can you safely eat of a certain type of fish or seafood?

OceansAlive has a list of the best and worst seafood choices. You can even download a pocket guide (pdf file) you can take with you when you go shopping. If you have any other questions on the safety of eating fish or taking fish supplements, you might find the answers here.

Post from: Blisstree

Which Fish is Safe to Eat?

Health Benefits of Fish Consumption Outweigh Risks

ruth — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 14:26:32 +0000

Despite all the health benefits of eating fish, many people are worried about the dangers posed by environmental pollutants found in fish such as mercury, PCBs and dioxins.

In what they claim to be the “single most comprehensive analysis to date of fish and health”, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) reviewed the evidences of major health effects of omega-3 fatty acids, major health risks of mercury, and major health risks of PCBs and dioxins in both adults and infants/young children.

The conclusion:

“…the benefits of eating one to two servings of fish a week (primarily reduced risk of death due to coronary heart disease risks and overall mortality) greatly outweigh the risks among adults and, except for a few species of fish, women of child-bearing age.”

Optimal consumption is placed at about 3 ounces of farmed salmon or 6 ounces of mackerel.

Read the detailed feature report from HSPH, or see the manuscript published in the Journal of the American medical Association.

Post from: Blisstree

Health Benefits of Fish Consumption Outweigh Risks

Fatty Fish Protects Against Renal Cancer

ruth — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 15:08:54 +0000

Based on a long-term (1987-2004) study of 90,000 Swedish women, eating at least one portion per week of fatty fish such as salmon, raw herring, sardines and mackerel significantly reduced the risk of renal cancer by 74 per cent compared with those who never ate fatty fish.

“This is the first time that a link between the consumption of fatty fish and renal cancer has been studied,” says Professor Alicja Wolk, one of the scientists working with the study. “The reason previous studies have been unable to demonstrate a link between fish consumption and renal cancer is that they made no distinction between fatty and non-fatty fish.”

So if you want to reap the benefits of fish consumption as a prophylaxis against (renal) cancer, remember, only fatty or oily fish count. Cod and tuna, for example, do not seem to confer the same benefit. The difference is believed to lie on the omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D content, according to the researchers.

[Photo: krayker]

Post from: Blisstree

Fatty Fish Protects Against Renal Cancer