Couple of weekly portions of oily fish can help ward off stroke

But fish oil supplements dont have the same effect

Eating at least two servings of oily fish a week is moderately but significantly associated with a reduced risk of stroke, finds a study published on bmj.com today.

But taking fish oil supplements doesnt seem to have the same effect, say the researchers.

Regular consumption of fish and long chain omega 3 fatty acids has been linked with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease and current guidelines recommend eating at least two portions of fish a week, perably oily fish like mackerel and sardines. But evidence supporting a similar benefit for stroke remains unclear.

So an international team of researchers, led by Dr. Rajiv Chowdhury at Cambridge University and Professor Oscar H. Franco at Erasmus MC Rotterdam, analysed the results of 38 studies to help clarify the association between fish consumption and risk of stroke or mini-stroke (transient ischaemic attack or TIA). Collectively, these conditions are known as cerebrovascular disease.

The 38 studies involved nearly 800,000 individuals in 15 countries and included patients with established cardiovascular disease (secondary prevention studies) as well as lower risk people without the disease (primary prevention studies). Differences in study quality were taken into account to identify and minimise bias.

Fish and long chain omega 3 fatty acid consumption was assessed using dietary questionnaires, identifying markers of omega 3 fats in the blood, and recording use of fish oil supplements. A total of 34,817 cerebrovascular events were recorded during the studies.

After adjusting for several risk factors, participants eating two to four servings a week had a moderate but significant 6% lower risk of cerebrovascular disease compared with those eating one or fewer servings of fish a week, while participants eating five or more servings a week had a 12% lower risk.

An increment of two servings per week of any fish was associated with a 4% reduced risk of cerebrovascular disease. In contrast, levels of omega 3 fats in the blood and fish oil supplements were not significantly associated with a reduced risk.

Several reasons could explain the beneficial impact of eating fish on vascular health, say the authors. For example, it may be due to interactions between a wide range of nutrients, like vitamins and essential amino acids, commonly found in fish. Alternatively, eating more fish may lead to a reduction in other foods, like red meat, that are detrimental to vascular health. Or higher fish intake may simply be an indicator of a generally healthier diet or higher socioeconomic status, both associated with better vascular health.

The differences seen between white and oily fish may be explained by the way they are typically cooked (white fish is generally battered and deep fried, adding potentially damaging fats).

Although theres a possibility that some other unmeasured (confounding) factor may explain their results, the authors conclude that "they reinforce a potentially modest beneficial role of fish intake in the cause of cerebrovascular disease."

In addition, they say their findings are in line with current dietary guidelines that encourage fish consumption for all; and intake of fish oils to people with pre-existing or at high risk of heart disease. They also support the view that future nutritional guidelines should be principally "food based."

In an accompanying editorial, authors from the Division of Human Nutrition at Wageningen University suggest that although it is "reasonable" to advise patients that eating one or two portions of fish per week could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, any benefit of long chain omega 3 fatty acid supplementation is likely to be small. They say it is possible, however, that patients with additional risk factors such as diabetes may benefit.

Fish Oil and Your Heart

Fish oil and your heart

Recent reports on the health benefits of fish oil sound almost too good to be true. The omega-3 fatty acids that it contains have been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes and slow the formation of plaques in the arteries, and they may also lower blood pressure.

Accordingly, the American Heart Association now recommends that healthy people eat fatty fish at least twice a week (individuals with heart disease should consume 1,000 milligrams of omega-3s per day and may want to discuss capsule supplements with their doctors). The latest studies go even further, demonstrating that the benefits of omega-3s extend beyond the heart and exploring exactly how these fatty acids do their good work in our bodies.

Research conducted at the University of Barcelona showed that obese mice living on a diet enriched with omega-3s displayed improved sensitivity to insulin. If the finding holds true for humans, this insulin response could translate to a reduced risk of diabetes. Other scientists are garnering evidence for the anecdotal claims that fish oils improve cognitive functioning.

Last fall an American and Canadian team reported on three studies in which infants were randomly fed standard or high-omega-3 formulas; those who consumed the latter performed better on a problem-solving test. An independent, large-scale study in Sweden found that teenage males who eat fish weekly have intelligence scores 7 percent higher than do those who eat fish less often. Consuming fish more than once per week correlated with intelligence scores that were 12 percent higher than those of infrequent fish eaters.

Meanwhile, an international team has tracked how one of the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), carries out its protective functions. The scientists determined that the body converts DHA to a compound called resolvin D2, which prevents neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) from sticking to the walls of blood vessels and initiating an inflammation response. In mice with sepsis, resolvin D2 reduced the widespread swelling that usually accompanies the condition without impairing the immune system’s ability to fight the underlying infection.

A similar mechanism may be behind fish oil’s cardiovascular benefits, since inflammation is associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke. “Resolvin D2 is an excellent prototype for a new anti-inflammatory drug,” says pharmacologist Mauro Perretti of Queen Mary University of London, one of the study’s authors. A Massachusetts-based company, Resolvyx Pharmaceuticals, is already conducting clinical trials of resolvins for the treatment of inflammatory problems, including asthma and dry eyes.

Article source: Fish Oil and Your Heart

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Health Benefits of Eating Fish

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Health Benefits of Eating Fish

BENEFITS:
An excellent source of complete protein, iron and other minerals.
Some are high in Vitamin A.
Contain omega-3 fatty acids.

DRAWBACKS:

Some may harbor PCBs, mercury, and other pollutants.
Often Expensive.

Although a forkful of fish is a gold mine of concentrated nutrient, Americans consume an average of only 15 pounds a year, compared to our annual per capita intake of about 160 pounds of red meat and more than 90 pounds of poultry, while these statistics seem to indicate a clear culinary preference for red meat and poultry, there are important health benefits to be gained from eating more fish and less meat.
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the average western diet provides about twice as much protein as necessary in itself this might not be a problem except that our typical protein choices of red meat and dairy products com packed with huge quantities of saturated FATS. In contrast, fish and SHELLFISH have more protein, fewer calories, and less far per serving than most meats. The fats in fish are particularly high in polyunsaturates, which remain liquid even when chilled, if fish had a lot of saturated fat, it would congeal into a solid mass and prevent them from moving in their cold water habitat, And although fish contains cholesterol, since it lacks saturated far it is no more likely to increase blood cholesterol than skinless poultry is.

Types of Fish

HEALTH BENEFITS:

Eating fish three times a week has been associated with a significant decrease in the rate of heart disease. This became apparent that scientists highlighted coronary artery Disease which was almost nonexistent among the Eskimos of Greenland,  Japanese fisherman and Native Americans of the Pacific North west. The one factor that these three groups had in common was diet that relied heavily on fish for protein. When researchers examined the effect of different diets in other populations, they found that men who ate fish regularly two or three times a week were much less likely to suffer heart attacks than men who shunned fish. Its not yet known whether the effect is due to one factor or many but evidence so far points to the beneficial action of fish oils. Fish oils are rich in a type of unsaturated fat that is known as omega-3 fatty acids. These are alter the chemical composition of the blood by increasing levels of HDL and decreasing level of LDL and triglycerides. Fatty acids also make blood platelets less likely to stick together and form clots, and they increase the flexibility of red blood cells enabling them to pass more readily through tiny vessels.

The human body uses omega-3 fatty acids to manufacture prostaglandins, chemicals that play a role in many processes, including inflammation and other functions of the immune system. Several studies have found that a diet that includes fish oil equivalent to the amount in an 8- ounce daily serving of fish could relieve the painful symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. This positive change was not permanence symptoms quickly returned to their original level when the participants in the studies stopped eating the experimental diet. Doctors treating the patients believe that the beneficial effect was due to fish oil component, especially one termed eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). this fatty acid shows to promote the production of forms of prostaglandins and other substances that are less active in inflammation than those derived from saturated and poly unsaturated fats. 

 Health Benefits of Fish

VALUABLE NUTRITIONAL:

All fish are rich in nutrients, especially in the water soluble B vitamins. Oily Fish are particularly rich in vitamins A, D and K. Fish also supply a wealth of minerals, iodine, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, copper and fluoride. In addition, the bones in canned salmon and sardines are an excellent source of Calcium.

Fish are high in protein because they carry a massive bulk of muscle on a much more spindly skeleton than land animals do. Contrary to popular belief, its not necessarily true that the darker the flesh, the oilier the fish the dark color is in fact due to the presence of myoglobin, a pigment that stores oxygen in the muscles. the flesh of salmon and trout gets its appealing pink color from astonishing a carotenoids pigment derived from the crustaceans and insects the fish feed on. 

There is no difference in nutrient content between fish that are farmed and those caught in the wild. how ever some farmed fish, such as salmon and those caught in the wild. counter parts.

 Health Benefits of Fish

LIMITATION OF FISH TAKING:

The American heart association (AHA) recommends their or more servings of fish a week to provide the known benefits, while endorsing fish as a healthy food, the AHA warns against the use of fish oil supplements because these are marketed as nutritional supplements, they have not undergone the rigorous testing that drugs are subjected to so a buyer has no guaranty that a particular formulation either delivers the promised benefits of content or even meets acceptable safety standard. Advertisements fail to mention that the supplements are usually high in calories and cholesterol in addition, they are often high in vitamins A & D which can be dangerous when taken in large doses. Use a fish oil supplement only if your doctor prescribes a specific brand and monitors you hearth.

Health Benefits of Fish

POTENTIAL HAZARDS:

The rising popularity of sushi bars and restaurants attests to a venturesome attitude toward eating. Although chefs trained in the art preparing the Japanese raw fish especially usually maintain rigorous standards of freshness and cleanliness, eating raw fish carries certain risks. Both fresh water and salt water fish can be intermediate hosts for parasitic worms. Many of the fish used to make sushi are chilled to a temperature that kills parasites nonetheless sushi eaters should be aware that there is a risk of infection.
Parasites are also sometimes present in raw fish preparation such as dutch green herring and Scandinavian Gravlax. However the pickling process used in pickled herring and properly made gravlax eliminates worms and eggs.
Oily fish such as fresh herring and mackerel must be cooked or processed soon after they are netted. If kept too long before cooking they can spoil and cause scombroid poisoning.
Shellfish from waters polluted by human waste bring a threat of viral hepatitis as well as bacterial infection that can cause sever gastrointestinal upset. Shellfish farms are required to meet strict health standards to ensure that their products are safe. The old rule of eating oysters only in the "R" months remains a sound one. from time to time, coastal water are tinged red by marine microorganisms in the phenomenon known as the red tide. Be sure to ask where shellfish come from then you should never consume any from red tide areas. Shellfish ingest the microorganism, which produces a toxin that is not destroyed by cooking. Eating contaminated shellfish brings on symptoms of poisoning within 30 minutes that is facial numbness, difficulty in breathing muscle weakness and some times partial paralysis.  
Large long lived fish such as tuna and swordfish may accumulate heavy-metal contaminants especially mercury, which are toxic to the human nervous system and can be dangerous for unborn babies, because of this potential hazard, women should avoid fresh tuna and swordfish during pregnancy.

Health Benefits of Fish

BUYING A FISH:
Unlike most other perishable food items, fish is not subject to mandatory evaluation and grading by federal government inspectors to ensure safety and acceptable quality. Instead, processors  packets and broker subscribe to a voluntary program of inspection by the U.S Department of Commerce. Any fish products that meet the inspection regulations are clearly marked for easy consumer identification. You should look for the U.S Department of Commerce certification on canned and frozen fish products. Buy canned tuna that is packed in water oil packed tuna is substantially higher in calories. Be sure to thoroughly drain the oil from other canned fish, such as sardines and anchovies.
When buying fresh fish, look for bright, glossy skin, clear bulging eyes tight scales and firm flesh. There should be only a clean, briny aroma, no whiff of iodine, ammonia, or strong fishiness should be present. Buy fish only at markets that keep them covered with ice.

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Eating Fish Important to Women

Eating Fish Important to Women | Eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as: salmon can significantly lower the risk of a young women affected by heart disease, as reported by experts from Denmark.

The researchers found that women of childbearing age who never ate fish had a 50 percent higher risk of cardiovascular problems affected than women who frequently eat fish.

"We found evidence that although only a few times a month a woman eat fish, but they still benefit," lead investigator Marin Strom, from the Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen.

"But it is important to stress that, to obtain the greatest benefit of fish and fish oils, women should follow the dietary recommendation to eat fish as a main dish at least twice a week," he added.

Strom and colleagues collected data 49 000 pregnant women between the years 1996-2008. Researchers asked how much and what kind of fish they eat - hoping to find out if eating certain fish help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The women aged around 15-49 years and they also asked about lifestyle and family medical history.

During the eight years of follow-up, there were 577 cardiovascular events - including hypertension, stroke and heart disease - are recorded. Five women died of cardiovascular disease.

Overall, little is known that women get intake of fish or not at all more likely to be hospitalized related to cardiovascular disease than those who frequently eat fish.

The researchers also noted, associated cardiovascular risk three times higher in women who never ate fish than women who consumed fish high in omega-3, at least once a week.

"The best source for omega-3 fatty acids are salmon, herring, mackerel, trout, and Greenland halibut," said Strom.

According to Strom, these previous studies only focused on men, not women. "This is the first study that focuses exclusively on women of childbearing age," he said.