Health Benefits Of Eating Fish Outweigh Risks
It would be easy if we could label all things — or all foods
— “good” or “bad,” but we all know it’s not that simple. As any
dietitian will tell you, a healthy diet is about balancing the foods
you eat.
Incredibly, one popular food that some want to put in the “bad”
category is fish because it contains trace levels of mercury, which
occurs naturally in the ecosystem. While pregnant women need to monitor
what foods they consume, mercury intake can be managed, and the federal
government provides guidelines for them.
But some would still have you believe our mothers were wrong: Fish isn’t brain food or good for your health.
While a sensational headline such as that might sell newspapers, it
doesn’t help Chicagoans figure out what to serve to their families. The
fact is, our mothers were teaching us good nutritional habits, and
there are scientific data to prove it.
While trace amounts of mercury can be found in a few types of
seafood, many research studies have examined the risk vs. benefits of
fish consumption. These studies continue to prove that the health
benefits of eating fish far outweigh any potential risk from such
minimal exposure to mercury.
In October, a study from the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis
confirmed that eating less fish and seafood to prevent mercury exposure
is not justified when weighed against the loss of omega-3 fatty acids
in the diet. The analysis found that for men and women, decreased fish
consumption leads to an increased incidence of stroke and coronary
heart disease.
Other scientific evidence shows those same omega-3 fatty acids —
some of which can be gained only by eating fish — can reduce the risk
of cardiovascular disease. In its 2005 Dietary Guidelines, the federal
government advises Americans to consume more fish to live “longer,
healthier and more active lives.” The new food pyramid design bases its
recommendations on the Dietary Guidelines. Those guidelines, created by
nutrition experts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, specifically
mention the tremendous health benefits of fish and shellfish such as
the omega-3 fatty acids that can ”reduce the risk of mortality from
cardiovascular disease.”
The evidence that fish is heart-healthy is echoed by the American
Heart Association. According to AHA, “Healthy people should eat omega-3
fatty acids from fish to protect their hearts. For middle-aged and
older men, and postmenopausal women, the benefits of eating fish far
outweigh the risks within the established guidelines.”
And back to Mom telling us to eat our “brain food.” During
developmental stages of a pregnancy and in the first few years of a
child’s growth, the positive effects of omega-3 fatty acids consumed
before birth and as an infant contribute to positive growth of a
child’s brain. The most recent proof of that comes from a study
published last year in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine,
which found omega-3 intake may have a positive influence on a child’s
IQ.
But what Mom didn’t know is that we need to continue eating fish
throughout life to maintain neurological health. The Rush Institute for
Healthy Aging actually found weekly consumption of fish with omega-3s
may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
So fish remains in the “good-for-you” food category — from the womb to the cradle, to middle age to retirement.
As an industry, we are educating consumers about how and why we
should include seafood as part of a balanced, healthy diet. We recently
launched www.AboutSeafood.com
to help Americans learn more about fish, including information to help
expecting mothers make smart choices about seafood consumption during
their pregnancies.
As the vast array of scientific evidence suggests, a balanced diet
that includes a variety of seafood outweighs the risks associated with
limited mercury exposure. And for women of childbearing age, it’s
important to follow the advice outlined by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Women and
young children need to keep fish in their diets for optimal health, so
read the mercury advisory carefully and follow those recommendations.
John Connelly is president of the National Fisheries Institute.