Marion Regional Healthcare System

Health Shorts

Benefits of Eating Fish

Do Vegetarians Get Enough Omega-3?  

Omega-3 fatty acids, known to promote a healthy cardiovascular system, are found mainly in cold-water fish. What are vegetarians to do? Studies have found that vegetarians and vegans tend to have lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids than non-vegetarians. Nutritionists recommend that vegetarians compensate by eating foods containing flax seed, soy and walnuts.  [SOURCE: Ann Reed Mangels, Virginia Messina and Vesanto Melina, "Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Vegetarian Diets," Journal of the American Dietetic Association, June, 2003]

Do You Have Fish-Eating Genes?  

A recent study has linked a certain variety of gene with a tendency to develop inflammation and atherosclerosis in blood vessels-a major risk factor for heart disease. The inflammation was made worse when the individual consumed meat or the linoleic acid in vegetable oils but was eased with consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish. Other studies have found omega-3 fatty acids beneficial to heart health in numerous ways, including reduction of inflammation in blood vessels. It may be, according to this study, that some individuals, because of their genetic makeup, benefit more than others. The gene linked to inflammation of arteries is found in about six percent of Americans but a much higher percentage of Asians and Pacific Islanders (19.4 percent) and African Americans (24 percent).  [SOURCE: "Your Diet and Your DNA," Harvard Health Letter, April, 2004]

Eat Fish To Head Off Stroke  

Men who ate fish one to three times a month and those who took omega three fatty acid supplements had a significantly lower risk of suffering an ischemic stroke with no increased risk of a hemorrhagic stroke, according to data from the Health Professional Follow-Up Study. An ischemic stroke, the most common kind, is caused by interruption of blood flow to the brain; a hemorrhagic stroke, by uncontrolled bleeding in the brain.  [SOURCE: K. He et al, "Fish Consumption and Risk of Stroke in Men," JAMA, December 25, 2002]

Eat Light Tuna for Less Mercury 

To get high levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids without high levels of mercury, experts say that canned tuna may be better than tuna steaks because the canned product comes mainly from smaller types of tuna. Among canned products, light tuna usually has less mercury than the more expensive white albacore.  [SOURCE: “Not Just Fish Stories: Despite Concerns about Pollutants, the Health Benefits of Eating fish Far Outweigh the Potential Risks,” Men’s Health Advisor, March, 2006]Eating Fish May Protect Aging Brain  Older adults who ate fish at least once a week showed less cognitive decline than other subjects, according to data from the ongoing Chicago Health and Aging Study. Subjects who ate fish once a week had 10 percent slower decline and those who ate fish twice a week had 13 percent slower decline.   Other studies have linked omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, with a lower risk of dementia and stroke–both major contributors of cognitive decline in older adults. In this study, however, the slower cognitive decline “was not accounted for by cardiovascular-related conditions,” the authors wrote. [SOURCE: “Fish Consumption May Slow Cognitive Decline,” Clinician Reviews, November, 2005; Archives of Neurology, December, 2005]

Essential Fatty Acids: Balance Is Key   Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna are recommended as part of a heart-healthy diet primarily because they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These are known as essential fatty acids because they are not manufactured by the body and must be obtained from food, primarily fish, flax seed, walnuts and soybeans. Another type of essential fatty acid, omega-6, is far more prominent in the American diet, derived primarily from meat, animal products and other unsaturated oils and margarines such as safflower and olive oil. Americans typically eat 30 to 40 times more omega-6 than omega-3 fatty acids; for good heart health, experts recommend a ratio of about 2:1 or 3:1.  [SOURCE: Douglas Dupler, "Essential Fatty Acids," Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, 2001; Gail Nelson, "The American Heart Association Calls for Eating Fish Twice per Week: What's a Vegetarian To Do?" Vegetarian Journal, September, 2001]

Even Lean Fish Offer Health Benefits  One reason that fatty, cold water fish such as salmon lower the risk of heart attack is that they have omega-3 fatty acids that exert an anti-inflammatory effect in the cardiovascular system. A recent Greek study found that persons who ate 10.5 ounces a week of small, lean varieties of fish also benefitted, with inflammation levels 33 percent lower than those who rarely ate fish.   The researchers found that even persons eating small quantities of fish–a few ounces a week–showed significant reductions in markers of inflammation. [SOURCE: Journal of the American College of Cardiology, July 5, 2005; Diane Lofshult, “Fishing for Better Health,” IDEA Fitness Journal, October, 2005]

Exercise, Fish Oil–Good Combination  Regular exercise plus a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids is a combination that’s likely to improve your cardiovascular health and your body composition, according to one recent study.   Overweight subjects with high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol were asked to 1) exercise, 2) take six grams of tuna fish oil daily or 3) do both. The researchers concluded that while both exercise and fish oil supplements were effective, the combined effect was even greater in reducing body fat, increasing levels of HDL (the good cholesterol) and improving the function of blood vessels. [SOURCE: Alison M. Hill, Jonathan D. Buckley, Karen J. Murphy and Peter R.C. Howe, “Combining fish-oil supplements with regular aerobic exercise improves body composition and cardiovascular disease risk factors,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, May, 2007]

Fish Oil Reduces Post-Operative Afib  Persons undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery frequently suffer atrial fibrillation as a post-operative complication that usually means a longer stay in the hospital. In a recent study involving 160 heart surgery patients, treatment with fish oil capsules starting several days before the procedure resulted in a 54 percent reduction in the incidence of atrial fibrillation. Only 15 percent of subjects taking fish oil capsules had atrial fibrillation compared to 33 percent of those taking placebo. The hospital stay for subjects taking fish oil capsules averaged 7.3 days compared to 8.2 days for the control group.  [SOURCE: Bruce Jancin, “Pre-Bypass Fish Oil Cuts Post-Op Atrial Fibrillation,” Family Practice News, June 15, 2005]

Omega-3s Reduce Heart Disease Risk 

Food surveys filled out for 16 years by about 85,000 women in the Nurses’ Health Study revealed that those who ate fish once a week were 29 percent less likely to develop coronary heart disease than those who rarely ate fish. For death from heart attack or stroke, the reduction in risk for fish eaters was even greater.  A high intake of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (found mainly in cold water fish) provided similar benefits, according to the study.  [SOURCE: “Omega-3 Fats Prevent Death from CHD,” Contemporary OB/GYN, September, 2002]