Information on fish...the good /and bad

Jean · 05-14-2009, 09:48 AM

We all realize that fish is a part of a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet. However, not all fish provide the same benefits, and some species should be limited or avoided altogether. The healthiest fish is to choose species rich in omega-3 fatty acids. We now realize how important the Omega -3 are for optimal physical and mental health. I was just reading the best sources are wild-caught Alaskan salmon, canned sockeye salmon, sardines, herring, and black cod. 2-6 servings per week of fish that are high in omega-3s would be a good addition to your diet.

However, not all fish provide the same benefits, and some species should be limited or avoided altogether. It is wise to minimize your consumption of the following:

Large predatory fish. Shark, swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, and white (albacore) tuna may have high levels of mercury. Pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of contaminants, and should avoid these species. (Small-catch tuna is OK, as it has high levels of omega-3s.)
Omega-6 rich fish. Farm-raised tilapia is one of the most highly consumed fish in America, yet it has very low levels of beneficial omega-3s and very high levels of potentially detrimental omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory, and inflammation is known to cause damage to blood vessels, the heart, lung and joint tissues, skin, and the digestive tract.
Farmed salmon. Avoid farmed salmon (also called Atlantic salmon), which is what you typically find in supermarkets, restaurants and fish markets. While less expensive than wild salmon, farmed salmon is lower in omega-3s and may contain residues of antibiotics and other drugs used to treat diseases in fish farming pens. What's more, levels of PCBs and other contaminants in some farmed salmon have been found to be much higher than those found in wild salmon.

regards,
Jean

Hopeful · 05-14-2009, 11:15 AM

Jean,

Thank you for this informative post. I have a friend who cut out protein except for fish a few years ago. The past several months, she has had severe bloating, digestive problems and other aliments. After extensive testing, she was dx with Mercury poisoning! There is nerve damage in the gut that she is told will heal but will take at least a year. She is now on a restricted diet. She didn't eat canned tuna every day; she purchased fresh fish at local fish stores and dinned out on fish. I don't think people realize how real the threat is. Says a lot about how polluted the water sources are.

Hopeful

StephN · 05-14-2009, 11:36 AM

Thanks Jean. Many people do not realize that they need to focus on buying WILD CAUGHT fish and other seafood. Even most of the shrimp is farmed and not in very clean conditions.

I bought some large wild caught sea scallops for dinner tonight. Not cheap, but a treat for our house guest from France. For us, too!

If you are a COSTCO shopper, there are times when they have the wild Alaska salmon available at a reasonable price, but the rest of the time is "Atlantic" salmon. I do get the wild sea scallops from them on occasion. Check with the department, and they can tell you what they will have and when.

Halibut and sole are also good and I only see them advertised as "wild caught." Some cod as well.

Mary Anne in TX · 05-14-2009, 12:16 PM

thanks Jean!
I found a place a few years ago (before BC) where I ordered Alaskan wild salmon shipped in once a month. It did cost a bit, but not when I compared the value and safety.
There are warnings here on the coast about the safety of the fish and seafood right now. Too much yucky stuff in it!
Where it comes from is so important, but not always easy to discover.
Gosh, we have to become detectives, uh?
ma

hutchibk · 05-14-2009, 12:31 PM

Yep, it's all about wild caught... and the further north and the deeper and colder the water, the higher the good omegas and the less pollutants - or so I have been taught.

sassy · 05-14-2009, 04:22 PM

What about fresh water fish such as mountain trout, large and small mouth bass, crappie, catfish etc.?

Mary Anne in TX · 05-14-2009, 04:46 PM

Not sure, but NOTHING is as good as a little mountain stream trout. Brooky....the best! I think I'm missing Wyoming! ma

Jean · 05-14-2009, 07:15 PM

Sassy, that is a great question.
I would guess (but will do some research for us) that if the lake is stocked - we would have to wonder what the fish were fed. In the case of lakes and dams - that there was not any artificial feeding in the dams.

Today we have to question where everything comes from. Many of the big lakes have a stocking program within the fresh water fisheries.

Jean

hutchibk · 05-14-2009, 09:45 PM

Fresh water stream fish is not as chocked full of nutrients and omegas as deep water is. Also, it is more susceptible to pollutants and run off chemicals than deep water fish. Not to say it isn't also good for you, but not as good...

RhondaH · 05-15-2009, 06:02 AM

We eat mostly salmon and tuna (still trying to find recipes for sardines and mackeral). Take care and God bless.

R.B. · 05-16-2009, 02:31 PM

Here is a useful page.

Tuna is in the high/highest mercury group.
http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp

Lake fish are at risk of being more polluted.

http://www.pennenvironment.org/repor...he-fish-we-eat

"Mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants and other industrial sources are making the fish in our lakes, rivers, and streams unsafe to eat. Coal-fired power plants are by far the nation’s largest unregulated source of mercury emissions, contributing 41 percent of all U.S. mercury emissions. The mercury deposits in soil and surface waters, where bacteria convert it to a highly toxic form of mercury that bioaccumulates in fish, including popular sport and commercial fish. This report analyzes new data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine the extent to which fish in the nation’s lakes are contaminated with mercury."

"Mercury pollution is pervasive in the nation’s lakes. Every fish sample EPA tested was contaminated with mercury, and the majority of the fish samples were contaminated with mercury at levels that could pose a public health risk. The results underscore the need to reduce mercury emissions to the greatest extent possible, as fast as possible."

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/sources.asp

"The most common source of mercury exposure for Americans is tuna fish. Tuna does not contain the highest concentration of mercury of any fish, but since Americans eat much more tuna than they do other mercury-laden fish, such as swordfish or shark, it poses a greater health threat. (For more, see our guides to mercury levels in fish and to eating tuna safely.)"

"Subsistence and sports fishermen who eat their catch can be at a particularly high risk of mercury poisoning if they fish regularly in contaminated waters. Across the United States, mercury pollution is known to have contaminated 12 million acres of lakes, estuaries, and wetlands (30 percent of the total), and 473,000 miles of streams, rivers, and coasts. And many waterways have not even been tested. In 2003, 44 states issued fish consumption advisories, warning citizens to limit how often they eat certain types of fish caught in the state's waters because they are contaminated with mercury."

Joan M · 05-16-2009, 04:29 PM

Jean,

Thanks for the fish update ... I was wondering about Tilapia.

Joan

Jean · 05-16-2009, 05:23 PM

Hi Joan,
While I am not an expert - I did find out some interesting things doing some research. I love tilapia myself and cook it often.

The good news is it has very low levels of mercury, because it is a fast growing fish which is short lived and mostly eats a vegetarian diet.
Farm raised tilapia has very low levels of omega 3

and high levels of oemga 6. This could be due to the diet the farm raised are fed.

jean

R.B. · 05-17-2009, 09:52 AM

I have copied the information from the link above in case anybody had any difficulty in opening it.

Tilapia is in the first group.

Freshwater farmed fish may not have the same level of important minerals like selenium or fat soluble vitamins as marine fish.

There are questions as to farmed fish containing other pollutants too.

They are improving the Omega 3:6 status of farmed salmon but we need better labelling to know how much Omega 3 and 6 farmed fish contain.

Farmed fish may also contain less fat soluble vitamins including vitamin D.

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp

ASTRACT

"LEAST MERCURY
Enjoy these fish:
Anchovies
Butterfish
Catfish
Clam
Crab (Domestic)
Crawfish/Crayfish
Croaker (Atlantic)
Flounder*
Haddock (Atlantic)*
Hake
Herring
Mackerel (N. Atlantic, Chub)
Mullet
Oyster
Perch (Ocean)
Plaice
Pollock
Salmon (Canned)**
Salmon (Fresh)**
Sardine
Scallop*
Shad (American)
Shrimp*
Sole (Pacific)
Squid (Calamari)
Tilapia
Trout (Freshwater)
Whitefish
Whiting

MODERATE MERCURY
Eat six servings or less per month:
Bass (Striped, Black)
Carp
Cod (Alaskan)*
Croaker (White Pacific)
Halibut (Atlantic)*
Halibut (Pacific)
Jacksmelt
(Silverside)
Lobster
Mahi Mahi
Monkfish*
Perch (Freshwater)
Sablefish
Skate*
Snapper*
Tuna (Canned
chunk light)
Tuna (Skipjack)*
Weakfish (Sea Trout)

HIGH MERCURY
Eat three servings or less per month:
Bluefish
Grouper*
Mackerel (Spanish, Gulf)
Sea Bass (Chilean)*
Tuna (Canned Albacore)
Tuna (Yellowfin)*

HIGHEST MERCURY
Avoid eating:
Mackerel (King)
Marlin*
Orange Roughy*
Shark*
Swordfish*
Tilefish*
Tuna
(Bigeye, Ahi)*

* Fish in Trouble! These fish are perilously low in numbers or are caught using environmentally destructive methods. To learn more, see the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Blue Ocean Institute, both of which provide guides to fish to enjoy or avoid on the basis of environmental factors.

** Farmed Salmon may contain PCB's, chemicals with serious long-term health effects.

Sources for NRDC's guide: The data for this guide to mercury in fish comes from two federal agencies: the Food and Drug Administration, which tests fish for mercury, and the Environmental Protection Agency, which determines mercury levels that it considers safe for women of childbearing age.

About the mercury-level categories: The categories on the list (least mercury to highest mercury) are determined according to the following mercury levels in the flesh of tested fish.

* Least mercury: Less than 0.09 parts per million
* Moderate mercury: From 0.09 to 0.29 parts per million
* High mercury: From 0.3 to 0.49 parts per million
* Highest mercury: More than .5 parts per million"

05-17-2009, 03:45 PM

The Monterey Bay Aquarium publishes a list of "ocean friendly" seafood by region (northeast, pacific, etc.) which lists the best choices for seafood in terms of both abundance (i.e., not endangered or overfished) and health (toxicity). The publications can be downloaded and folded to be carried in a wallet so they can be accessed while shopping or eating out. This doesn't address the Omega 3 issues but provides a supplement to that concern.

This may be a bit off track in terms of this thread, but like everyone else, I have spent a lot of time thinking and researching diet concerns since being diagnosed (2006). There are studies (China Study) which show that societies which consume the least amount of animal products have the lowest amount of chronic disease, including cancer; that consumption of dairy products (especially from cows treated with hormones and particularly in childhood) can increase higher levels of insulin like growth factor which may be tied to cancer; in studies on prostate cancer patients, Dean Ornish has shown that eating a plant based, nutritionally dense diet can change gene expression.

I am not a scientist but for myself while I will occasionally indulge in a piece of fish (and frozen yogurt and more than occasionally chocolate), I try to use flaxseed as source of Omega 3s and am trying to stick with a plant based diet.

R.B. · 05-18-2009, 02:00 PM

Hi rl2,

You have opened up a huge topic here.

I do not think the argument that plant eaters are healthier than omnivores holds water. Eskimos Masai and Kitavans make the point.

I am not decrying Dean Ornish's diet, just making the point human kind has been largely free of western diseases on a wide range of nutrient dense unadulterated foods.

I do not dispute that what we feed our live stock is a big issue.

All food changes gene expression one way or another.

Fish is an excellent source of nutrients.

Flaxseed oil will not provide the long chain Omega fats in many people. The ability to make the long chain Omega 3 DHA and EPA is blocked by a host of dietary factors, high levels of Omega 6 intake, and diabetes or metabolic issue.

Women convert better because of oestrogen. Women also need more DHA. So those on oestrogen blocking strategies will make much less Omega 3 DHA.

I have written a book on Omega 3 and 6, and this thread tries to underly the importance of Omega 3 and 6 in BC.

http://her2support.org/vbulletin/sho...ght=greek+diet

05-18-2009, 02:37 PM

Given the fact that what we feed our animals makes our consumption of them unhealthy (although I know people who buy direct from organic producers)(and this does not even get to the question of the conditions of production), and the fact that we can't be sure of the toxins in our fish, I've made a choice for myself to try to eat an organic, plant based diet. Historically Eskimos, etc. were able to eat a fish-based diet (and others meat based, though not farm produced meats), but we can't compare the fish most people can get at their local market or fishmonger with the quality that Eskimos were able to get in the past (and who knows what the quality of what they can catch is now - I have been to villages above the arctic circle - and they are now eating the same junk as the rest of us).

I am aware of the necessities for Omega 3s and why important in breast cancer (though have not read your book, but others), but I think the food/disease link, if there is one, is larger than the Omega 3/6/9 issue. I think its important to think of a bigger picture also on the question of what to eat and not just focus on the issue of fatty acids and take into account the quality of all foods, including ones that provide Omega 3s and where they comes from.

This is a big topic and admittedly difficult, and like a lot of others with this disease who have tried to sort it out, I have found that the questions just keep getting bigger. I also think its matters what kind of plants one eats and their source also.

Laurel · 05-18-2009, 03:29 PM

You know, I think about this issue quite a bit and like you I can never really sort it to any degree of satisfaction. Undoubtedly our Western diet is unhealthy on many levels. No question. Of course there remains the question of pesticides, estrogen mimickers in our lotions, shampoos, make-up, etc., and chemical and environmental pollutants in abundance. What "causes" breast cancer?

When I get stressed, or feeling guilty for eating candy, I like to think about Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney's wife, who died of metastatic breast cancer after a battle with our disease. She was a vegetarian for many, many years, but she still got breast cancer and succumbed to her disease. Asian women eat a comparatively healthy diet and yes, they have less breast cancer, but they still get breast cancer.

I don't know. I suppose Lien (Jacqueline from the Netherlands) said it best just a few days ago when she instructed us to not feel guilty if we should recur. I recall when I was diagnosed I felt so responsible for my cancer. Did I drink too much red wine? Not exercise enough? Was I mean to others? I thought that I was being punished and I was willing to further punish myself. Time has lessened these feelings.

In summation: I applaud every person who decides to modify their diet and adhere strictly to their choice. I admire those who make the determination to proactively fight with supplements and diet, but I equally admire those who modestly modify their lives and just decide to live their remaining days with enjoyment and allow the chips to fall where they may. Either choice is fine.