Not all fish are good for the heart

Not all fish are good for the heart

Not all fish are good for the heart – a study reports. Eating fish twice a week has been a widely accepted way to reduce the burden of coronary heart disease. Fish is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids and help to maintain the 4:1 ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids in diet. But a study in the the Journal of American Dietetic Association [1] has shown that two of the most widely farmed fish, tilapia and catfish may have an unfavourable omega 6 fatty acid content. At the same time, trout and Atlantic salmon had higher omega 3 fatty acid content and low omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acid ratio. This has been attributed to the fact that wild fish feed on algae with high omega 3 content while farmed fish feed on commercial feed high in omega 6 fats. The beneficial long-chain omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid.

Reference

1. Kelly L Weaver, Priscilla Ivester, Joshua A Chilton, Martha D Wilson, Prativa Pandey, Floyd H Chilton. The content of favorable and unfavorable polyunsaturated fatty acids found in commonly eaten fish.  J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Jul;108(7):1178-85.