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More on the benefits of Omega-3′s…..From:
Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
January 2, 2011
Eating oily fish, like salmon, herring or mackerel, twice
a week helps to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Eating oily
fish more often than twice a week has not been shown to be any more
protective. On the other hand, eating fried fish may increase risk
of stroke (Neurology, published online December 22, 2010).
The most popular fried fish are frozen fish sticks, fast-
food fish sandwiches and other inexpensive fish products. Most
of these are made with farmed tilapia or catfish that are not
good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. We don't know whether this
is the reason that fried fish are linked with increased risk of
strokes, or whether the unhealthful cooking method cancels out the
benefits of any fish.
Polyunsaturated fats in fish are classified by their
structure into omega-3s and omega-6s. Omega-3s form prostaglandins
that help prevent inflammation that causes heart attacks and
strokes. Omega-6s have not been shown to prevent heart attacks
and strokes. The fish that are rich sources of omega-3s are those
that eat plankton or other fish that have eaten plankton. Almost
all deep water fish are rich in the healthful omega-3s.
Of the four most commonly farmed fish (Atlantic salmon,
trout, tilapia, and catfish) only trout and Atlantic salmon contain
relatively high amounts of omega-3s. In contrast, tilapia (the
fastest-growing and most widely-farmed fish) and catfish have
much lower concentrations of omega-3s, and their fatty acids are
the same as chicken (Journal of the American Dietetic Association,
July 2008 and December 2008)
Whether or not a farmed fish contains omega-3s depends
on what the fish are fed. Catfish and tilapia can thrive on corn.
Since corn is cheaper than fish meal, they are usually fed omega-6
-rich corn, instead of omega-3 -rich fish meal, and they have
insignificant amounts of omega-3 fats in their bodies. However,
salmon and most other farmed fish cannot live on just corn, so
they must be fed fish meal that is loaded with omega-3s. All
salmon (farmed and wild-caught) are high in omega-3s.
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Reports from DrMirkin.com
