Saturday Quack - Farm-raised Tilapia Is Not Good for You
Sat, July 19, 2008 at 02:53AM Wake Forrest University scientists have issued a warning: farm-raised tilapia is not to be counted among the fish that are good for you to eat. Doctors tell their patients to go home and eat fish, but if the patients are poor, they’re likely to eat tilapia. And that may be an inaccurate prescription.
In a report in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, the scientists describe the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid content of 30 farmed and wild fish, with an emphasis on the most commonly-consumed farmed fish. This is important information, as the medical community encourages eating fish as the best way to increase the balance of omega-3 fatty acids versus omega-6 fatty acids. For instance, the American Heart Association recommends that everyone eats at least two servings of fish a week, while heart patients consume at least 1 gram a day of the two most critical omega-3 fatty acids – EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
The 4 most commonly farmed fish are Atlantic salmon, trout, tilapia, and catfish. Trout and Atlantic salmon contain relatively high amounts of omega-3 and low amounts of omega-6 fatty acids, an extremely favorable ratio. Tilapia and catfish have a low amount of omega-3 and a high amount of omega-6 fatty acids, and thus an unfavorable ratio of these fatty acids; such a ratio is “generally accepted to be inflammatory by the health care community”, according to the Wake Forrest researchers.
Reader Comments (1)
Nice site, i have added it to my favourites, greetings