Adding Fish to Your Diet?

"If you favor fish in your diet for its health-boosting omega-3's, you need to take a hard look at where your fillets come from before you choose them. New research from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine indicates that certain types of farm-raised fish, like tilapia and catfish, contain a disproportionate amount of omega-6 fatty acids, which can promote inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis."

"Fish is a heart-healthy food and many studies show that people who eat fish regularly have a lower risk of heart attacks, strokes, and death from heart disease. Adding fish to your diet provides a great source of important vitamins and minerals which our bodies do not produce on their own. In fact, fish are among the best dietary sources of vitamin D, which plays a crucial role in fighting fatigue, moodiness and boosting our immune system."

"Researchers studied 30 of the most commonly eaten fish and their fatty-acid composition. Tilapia, the fifth most consumed seafood in the US, has more omega-6's than bacon or doughnuts. While farm-raised salmon and trout had healthy fatty acid ratios that far surpassed most wild fish, independent laboratory reports have shown that farmed salmon (but not trout) can contain high levels of contaminants like carcinogenic PCB's."

Certain farm-raised fish such as tilapia and catfish contain high omega-6 to omega-3 ratios that may promote inflammatory and autoimmune conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. Fish generally provides heart-protective omega-3 fats plus important vitamins and minerals, and ranks among the best dietary sources of vitamin D. Some farmed salmon and trout show healthy fatty-acid ratios, but farmed salmon can carry high levels of contaminants like carcinogenic PCBs. Recommended choices with favorable omega-3 to omega-6 ratios and low contaminant levels include coho, Copper River and sockeye salmon, Pacific cod, and Alaskan halibut. Overfishing creates environmental concerns.

Read at Alternative Medicine Magazine