Omega-3 fatty acids, a buzzword flung around in healthy eating circles, can prevent many types of diseases. You can get these fatty acids by taking fish oil supplements or by eating fatty fishes, such as salmon or herring in your meals. You derive greater health benefits by getting the fatty acids directly from fish meat. Critics point to the dangers of eating fish, particularly because certain types of fish tend to accumulate toxic amounts of mercury in their flesh. A 2006 study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" suggests that fish’s many health benefits should cancel out any reservations you may have. Instead of frying, bake or broil your fish for healthier results. To maximize the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in, eat saltwater fish instead of freshwater varieties. Although the average adult should strive for at least two 3-ounce servings of fatty fish a week, other segments of the population, such as pregnant women and children under 12 years of age, should consume significantly less fish.
Cardiovascular Health
Adopting a diet patterned on the Mediterranean diet has become a common approach to boosting cardiovascular health. By eating fish a couple of times a week, you can decrease your risk of having a heart attack by at least a third, according to MayoClinic.com. Fish meat contains significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, a type of unsaturated fat that prevents heart disease and keeps your blood vessels clear; red meats such as beef feature artery-clogging saturated fats. Omega-3 fatty acids also prevent inflammation in your tissues, which harms your heart and blood vessels. These healthy fatty acids effectively lower blood pressure and decrease blood clotting, resulting in a better-functioning heart and healthier blood vessels and reducing your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.
Neurological Effects
Older people often suffer from dementia and lose some of their cognitive function. In a 2008 study published in the journal "Neurology," Dr. Jyrki Virtanen and colleagues scanned the brains of elderly patients and surveyed them on their dietary habits. The researchers were looking for occurrences of silent infarcts, small injuries to brain tissue that could possibly lead to strokes and loss of cognitive functions such as memory. The surveys given determined whether the subjects ate fatty fish as a significant part of their diets. The study found that subjects who ate fatty fish cooked by broiling or baking methods at least three times a week exhibited a 26 percent lower risk of silent infarcts. Even consuming one fish meal a week led to a 13 percent decrease in risk of silent infarcts.
Cancer Prevention
Societies that derive their main source of protein from fish seem to have lower incidences of cancer. The Japanese consume large quantities of fatty fish; incidentally, the rate of lung cancer in Japan is less than two-thirds the rate of cancer in the U.S. Male residents of Sweden also have low rates of prostate cancer. By eating one serving of a type of fatty fish, such as salmon, can reduce your rate of developing prostate cancer by almost half. The best evidence of the relationship of fish consumption and reduced cancer risk occurs with colorectal cancer. Even with only one or two servings of fatty fish a week, you can significantly reduce your risk of developing colorectal cancer. The effects of fish on incidences of cancer may be due partially to the substitution of healthier fish meals for those revolving around red meat.
Eye Health
Your eyes will thank you for choosing to add fish to your meals several times a week. Some diabetics suffer from a type of blindness called retinopathy, a disease characterized by blood escaping from blood vessels that abnormally multiply in your eyes. Additionally, elderly Americans suffer from age-related macular degeneration, another eye disorder that results from the anomalous growth of blood vessels in the eye. In a 2011 study published in "Science Translational Medicine," Dr. Lois Smith and associates found that feeding mice diets high in omega-3 fatty acids inhibited the growth of irregular blood vessels while stimulating the production of healthy types of blood vessels. Future endeavors of this research team include a clinical trial on the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on the eyes of premature babies and a search for the chemical culprits that lead to blindness.
Developmental Implications
Mothers can pass on the health benefits of fish to their babies. A 2008 study of mothers in Denmark discovered that breast-feeding mothers transferred the omega-3 fatty acids they consumed from fish to their babies through breast milk. The study, published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," found that children breast-fed by mothers who ate about 2 ounces of fish a day had more developed motor skills and increased cognitive activity. Dr. Emily Oken and colleagues suggested that the babies who were breast-fed the longest exhibited the highest scores on cognitive and motor skills assessments.
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