Eat fish for healthy heart: Study reveals
New Delhi : Fish lovers, you have a valid reason to eat fish now! Yes, a new scientific advisory restated the American Heart Association's recommendation that eating fish twice a week is good for heart health.
An advisory published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation have also shown that a diet rich in fish could be valuable for health.
"Since the last advisory on eating fish was issued by the Association in 2002, scientific studies have further established the beneficial effects of eating seafood rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, especially when it replaces less healthy foods such as meats that are high in artery-clogging saturated fat," said Eric B Rimm, Sc.D., chair of the American Heart Association writing group and professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
Going through the research, nutrition experts concluded that eating two 3.5-ounce servings of non-fried fish or about ¾ cup of flaked fish every week could help to reduce the risk of heart failure, coronary heart disease, cardiac arrest and the most common type of stroke (ischemic).
The note gave special emphasis on oily fish rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines or albacore tuna.
Earlier in a study, researchers concluded that omega-3 fatty acids can be beneficial for improving IQ scores and sleep in children, reducing asthma risk in children, and boosting brain health along with age.
Conversely an advisory published by the American Heart Association noted that omega-3 fish oil supplements are not suggested for stopping clinical cardiovascular disease because of a lack of scientific evidence. Many studies have shown that the supplements are beneficial for other health conditions including reducing the risk of allergies and asthma, and curing osteoarthritis.
The study also focused on mercury in fish. It has been found that mercury is found in most seafood and more prevalent in large fish such as shark, swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, bigeye tuna, marlin and orange.
The team mentioned that consumption of mercury may cause serious neurological problems in newborns but has no proof that mercury contamination has a negative effect on an adult's risk of heart disease.
