Health &
Nutrition
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Seafood for the Good Life
Great Lakes Fisheries Development Foundation Inc.
Healthy News About Seafood - Read All About It!
Greenland - Eskimos living here are found to have a very low incidence of heart disease in spite of their heavy diet of fatty fish, whale meat and seal.
Japan - Fishermen and other coastal dwellers have been found to have a lower incidence of heart disease than their farming neighbors.
The Netherlands - A 20-year study of 852 middle-aged men shows that those who ate seafood one or two times a week were half as likely to die of heart disease than those who did not.
These studies and others like them have linked eating seafood with a low incidence of heart disease. They have brought the health benefits of seafood to the attention of scientists, encouraging further studies on omega-3 fatty acids - the substance credited with seafood's heart-healthy effect.
While many more studies remain to be completed, the results so far are very promising. They all repeat the same message: Eating more seafood may lower your risk of heart disease - the nation's number one killer.
Found Primarily in Seafood
The fatty acids in seafood differ from those found in plant and animal sources. A large percentage of this fat is made up of omega-3 fatty acids, a type of highly polyunsaturated fat. These fatty acids, found in significant quantities only in marine animals and plants, provide many protective benefits in relation to heart disease. Scientists are now learning that omega-3 fatty acids protect the body in the following ways:
- They lower the level of triglycerides in the blood more effectively than do polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Under certain conditions, high levels of triglycerides have been associated with increased incidence of heart
disease.
- They reduce the stickiness of blood platelets, making the blood less likely to clot. Blood platelets which are too "stick" can cause blockages in coronary blood vessels.
- They lower total cholesterol levels and favorable change the balance of certain types of cholesterol in the blood.
Extra! Extra!
And that's not all. Studies now underway suggest that omega-3 fatty acids may play a part in helping prevent certain diseases and medical disorders such as breast cancer, inflammatory diseases, immune disorders, arthritis, high blood pressure, migraine headaches, and some kidney diseases.
Where to Find Omega-3 Fatty Acids
All fish and shellfish contain omega-3 fatty acids, but in general, the higher the fat content of the fish, the higher its omega-3 content. Following are some of the most commonly marketed fish, grouped by their fat content:
- Low-fat fish (fat content lower than 2.5 percent): This group includes cod, Pacific halibut, pollock, rockfish, grouper, shark, flounder, sole, croaker, red snapper, lingcod, sea bass, haddock, and whiting.
- Medium-fat fish (fish content between 2.5 and 5 percent): This group includes Atlantic halibut, yellowfin tuna, mullet, swordfish, and bluefish.
- High-fat fish (content over 5 percent): This group includes salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, bluefin tuna, sablefish, sardines, herring, anchovies, shad, and trout.
Old News is Good News
Of course, seafood has been recognized as a highly nutritious food. Seafood is "nutrient-dense". That means it offers large quantities of protein and significant amounts of vitamins and minerals, without high levels of saturated fats and calories.
Guidelines established in 1977 by the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs recommend a number of changes Americans should make in their diets in order to avoid many chronic diseases and maintain
good health. Among these are:
- Reduce overall fat consumption from approximately 40% to 30% of total calorie intake.
- Reduce saturated fat consumption from approximately 16% to 10% of total calorie intake.
- Reduce cholesterol consumption to no more than 300 milligrams a day.
By eating seafood, we can go a long way toward achieving these goals. Seafood provides recommended levels of the following:
- Protein - Seafood is an excellent source of complete protein providing all of the essential amino acids. In fact, a single serving of seafood can provide a large portion of your daily protein needs. The protein in seafood is easily digestible, making it perfect for people of all ages.
- Vitamins and Minerals - Seafood is a good source of B vitamins and provides such key minerals and trace elements, as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, fluorine, selenium, copper, zinc and iodine.
Seafood is low in these categories:
- Fat - Seafood, in general, has a very small amount of fat. Most varieties of fish and shellfish contain less than 5 percent fat. Even high fat fish generally have less than 15% fat. Compare this with a T-bone steak at 37% fat or a pork loin chop at 21%. Seafood is also lower in saturated fat than most other protein sources. By substituting fish meals for some meat meals you can lower your total fat and saturated fat intake considerably.
- Sodium - Seafood is generally low in sodium. Most fresh finfish contain very low amounts of sodium, ranging from 60 to 100 milligrams per 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces) of raw fish. Sodium levels of shellfish and processed finfish tend to be slightly higher, depending on processing.
- Cholesterol - Cholesterol levels are not significant in most seafood products. Finfish are generally quite low in cholesterol, with shellfish having low to moderate amounts. In the past, shellfish have been excluded from low cholesterol diets because they were believed to be high in cholesterol.
New sophisticated measuring techniques have indicated that cholesterol levels of many mollusc and shellfish are much lower than was previously though. In fact, mollusks, such as clams, oysters, scallops and mussels, were found to have a large percentage of non-cholesterol sterols present that appear to have a positive affect. These sterols have been found to inhibit the absorption of cholesterol eating at the same meal.
Cholesterol levels in such crustaceans as crab and lobster are similar to that found in the dark meat of chicken. While cholesterol in shrimp varies considerably by species, it generally is 1 1/2 to 2 times higher than in the dark meat of chicken, but far less than in eggs.
Because shellfish contain very little saturated fat, they are no longer excluded from typical low cholesterol diets.
News You Can Use
How much seafood should we eat? A Dutch study published in May 1985 in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that "the consumption of as little as one or two fish dishes a week may be of preventive value in relation to coronary heart disease". These findings were echoed by scientists who gathered at a two-day conference on seafood and health in November 1985.
They agreed that eating several seafood meals a week is a good way to cut your risk of heart disease. "I have no qualms about the American public eating three or even four meals of fish a week", said Dr. William Castelli, director of the Framingham Heart Study. This landmark study established the risk factors for heart disease.
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