Posted on 07/08/2008 5:47:56 AM PDT by Red Badger
Farm-raised tilapia, one of the most highly consumed fish in America, has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and, perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. The combination could be potentially dangerous for some patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases that are particularly vulnerable to an “exaggerated inflammatory response.”
Newswise — Farm-raised tilapia, one of the most highly consumed fish in America, has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and, perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
The researchers say the combination could be a potentially dangerous food source for some patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases that are particularly vulnerable to an “exaggerated inflammatory response.” Inflammation is known to cause damage to blood vessels, the heart, lung and joint tissues, skin, and the digestive tract.
“In the United States, tilapia has shown the biggest gains in popularity among seafood, and this trend is expected to continue as consumption is projected to increase from 1.5 million tons in 2003 to 2.5 million tons by 2010,” write the Wake Forest researchers in an article published this month in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
They say their research revealed that farm-raised tilapia, as well as farmed catfish, “have several fatty acid characteristics that would generally be considered by the scientific community as detrimental.” Tilapia has higher levels of potentially detrimental long-chain omega-6 fatty acids than 80-percent-lean hamburger, doughnuts and even pork bacon, the article says.
“For individuals who are eating fish as a method to control inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, it is clear from these numbers that tilapia is not a good choice,” the article says. “All other nutritional content aside, the inflammatory potential of hamburger and pork bacon is lower than the average serving of farmed tilapia.”
The article notes that the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, known scientifically as “long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids” (PUFAs), have been well documented. The American Heart Association now recommends that everyone eat at least two servings of fish per week, and that heart patients consume at least 1 gram a day of the two most critical omega-3 fatty acids, known as EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
But, the article says, the recommendation by the medical community for people to eat more fish has resulted in consumption of increasing quantities of fish such as tilapia that may do more harm than good, because they contain high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, also called n-6 PUFAs, such as arachidonic acid.
“The ratio of arachidonic acid (AA) to very long-chain n-3 PUFAs (EPA and DHA) in diets of human beings appears to be an important factor that dictates the anti-inflammatory effects of fish oils,” the researchers write. They cite numerous studies, including a recent one that predicts “that changes in arachidonic acid to EPA or DHA ratios shift the balance from pro-inflammatory [agents] to protective chemical mediators … which are proposed to play a pivotal role in resolving inflammatory response” in the body.
For their study, the authors obtained a variety of fish from several sources, including seafood distributors that supply restaurants and supermarkets, two South American companies, fish farms in several countries, and supermarkets in four states. All samples were snap-frozen for preservation pending analysis, which was performed with gas chromatography.
The researchers found that farmed tilapia contained only modest amounts of omega-3 fatty acids – less than half a gram per 100 grams of fish, similar to flounder and swordfish. Farmed salmon and trout, by contrast, had nearly 3 and 4 grams, respectively.
At the same time, the tilapia had much higher amounts of omega-6 acids generally and AA specifically than both salmon and trout. Ratios of long-chain omega-6 to long-chain omega-3, AA to EPA respectively, in tilapia averaged about 11:1, compared to much less than 1:1 (indicating more EPA than AA) in both salmon and trout.
The article notes that “there is a controversy among scientists in this field as to the importance of arachidonic acid or omega-6:omega-3 ratios vs. the concentration of long-chain omega-3 alone with regard to their effects in human biology.” Those issues are raised in an editorial in the same issue of the Journal.
The Wake Forest article anticipates that criticism and notes that one human study involving AA showed a probable gene-nutrient connection to coronary heart disease in a specific group of heart disease patients. In another study, four subjects were removed after consumption of high amounts of AA due to concerns about the effect of the acid on their blood platelets.
Floyd H. “Ski” Chilton, Ph.D., professor of physiology and pharmacology and director of the Wake Forest Center for Botanical Lipids, is the senior author of the Journal article. He said that in next month’s Journal, he will publish a rebuttal to this month’s editorial.
“We have known for three decades that arachidonic acid is the substrate for all pro-inflammatory lipid mediators,” Chilton said in an interview. “The animal studies say unequivocally that if you feed arachidonic acid, the animals show signs of inflammation and get sick.
“A New England Journal of Medicine article three years ago said if you had heart disease and had a certain genetic makeup, and you ate arachidonic acid, the diameter of your coronary artery was smaller, a major risk factor for a heart attack,” said Chilton. “My point is that it’s likely not worth the risk in this or other vulnerable populations.”
Chilton said tilapia is easily farmed using inexpensive corn-based feeds, which contain short chain omega-6s that the fish very efficiently convert to AA and place in their tissues. This ability to feed the fish inexpensive foods, together with their capacity to grow under almost any condition, keeps the market price for the fish so low that it is rapidly becoming a staple in low-income diets.
“We are all familiar with the classical Hippocratic admonition, Primum no nocere, ‘First, do no harm.’ I think it behooves us to consider this critical directive when making dietary prescriptions for the sake of health,” Chilton said.
“Cardiologists are telling their patients to go home and eat fish, and if the patients are poor, they’re eating tilapia. And that could translate into a dangerous situation.”
Co-authors of the study are Kelly L. Weaver, Ph.D., Priscilla Ivester, Joshua A. Chilton, Martha D. Wilson, Ph.D., and Prativa Pandey, all with Wake Forest School of Medicine. The research was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and by an NIH Molecular Medicine training grant.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (www.wfubmc.edu) is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Brenner Children’s Hospital, Wake Forest University Physicians, and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine and Piedmont Triad Research Park. The system comprises 1,154 acute care, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and has been ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report since 1993. Wake Forest Baptist is ranked 32nd in the nation by America’s Top Doctors for the number of its doctors considered best by their peers. The institution ranks in the top third in funding by the National Institutes of Health and fourth in the Southeast in revenues from its licensed intellectual property.
Thanks. I’ll stick with catfish.
or
Once upon a time you dressed do fine through the bums a dime...
or
To dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand wavin' free...
Not forgotten just has not made the list yet.
To me, there is absolutely no finer food than FRESH CAUGHT FISH! I've fished in old miner streams in Oregon for Rainbow, forgotten rivers throughout CA, the oceans of CA.
Catch 'em, clean 'em, put them straight into a ground pit, a bbq pit, a frying pan - doesn't matter - it's manna.
I went deep-sea fishing off Bodega Bay years ago. Fileted, I caught 24 lbs of ling cod. Those suckers stay 100s of feet down. Reeled 'em in myself. Could barely move my shoulders for about 3 days....
And yep, love fresh cooked eel.
Anyone who hasn't had abalone and crab straight from the sea to cooker, hasn't really tasted abalone or crab.
Tilapia, fresh, is a very delicate tasting fish. It's excellent.
Dover sole used to be my main edible...
Almost caught a monster daddy bass at Jordan Lake here last year... sigh, mostly caught crappies.
Ahhhh Tilapia. A little salt, pepper, crushed Tarragon, dust in flour, dip in the egg, roll in Panko. Deep fry a couple of minutes and serve with home made Tartar Sauce.
Sheesh, and I was going to make up a batch of Chicken, Pork, Shrimp fried rice tonight. Thawing the Tilapia and Shrimp for dinner instead.
Being I’m of norwegian/sweden ancestry, it’s been in my house, but I could never get past the smell. Although my parents used to eat it alot.
Tilapia lutefisk?....................
Caught Mr Halibut to you, Lings, and Silver Salmon in the ocean, pinks, and sockeye in the rivers. I also catch Channel Catfish and the occasional delicious bass in my pond. I will not eat Telapia or anything else from China.
I eat sardines in mustard only. See above for the fresh catches. I also eat about any other clean meat including beef, pork, and sometimes a dirty chicken. Actually, poultry are among the least clean meats—raised in filthy conditions, and fed a number of feed additives.
I try not to eat stuff that has been raised in fecal pond waters...........It’s probably bad for you.................
There’s passing mention of farm-raised catfish
Its food. As long as you are not allergic to it and it is not poisoned a few catfish fillets aren't going to hurt you.
Most of what is on the "other things to worry about "list are from posted articles on FR put forth by the media as the next thing that was going to make people ill, injure you, or end life on earth to induce a constant state of worry, fretting, fear, uncertainty,and doubt.
In fact one of the items on the list is the article Everything spinning out of control. Seems like the reporters are reading too much of of their own doom and gloom.
Remember that the vast majority of the 300,000,000 people in the good old USA did not have any problem with anything on the list.
The constant drip, drip, drip of "Crisis News" can effect a persons frame of mind. Effect enough people and the consequences can be enormous.
Keep in mind that the sun will most likely come up tomorrow and most of us will be here to see it.
I keep a loaded gun in three rooms of the house to deal with unexpected issues. The dogs will let me know if one of these issues arrives.
I keep a weather radio set to alarm on severe weather alert broadcasts. I monitor the local fire department frequency in case there is a brush fire nearby (it has been pretty dry around here). That is all the crisis news I need.
I try to limit my talk radio listening to 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. and I don't regularly watch the "news". I do not subscribe to the local bird cage liner.
Got to get going since I have 4 loaves of bread rising in the kitchen that need to go into the ovens.
Regards,
Cal
So apparently I’m not the only one who feels this way about tilapia. I’ve had it twice - once at home and another time at a restaurant as part of some sort of seafood paella or something like that (luckily there was other good, edible seafood in it too). Both times I thought it had a really nasty “off” taste - and I like seafood, including really “fishy” tasting seafood like macakerel, herring, salmon, etc.
“The last tilapia I ate tasted moldy.”
Yes, that’s exactly the flavor I detected in tilapia the two times I’ve eaten it. One of the few times I’ve ever left anything sitting on my plate because I just couldn’t stand the flavor.
Yours is how I regularly prepared Sand-dabs, when I could get 'em. Yum.
I've never been anything even remotely resembling a fan of dining on chicken. But I sure do like fresh eggs. :)
Egads, I'm used to FRESH ALASKAN CRAB. Since I've been here on the east coast, I've turned my nose up at the so-called Alaskan crabs more than not. Why? It's old, it's gone through various temps: It's not as fresh as one would get while on the west coast. So, I'm now eating East/South fish I never really had available to me on the West Coast. And loving the tastes of the newer-to-me fishes!
You may be correct. I think it’s safe to say that tilapia farm-raised in China is probably far from fresh by the time it reaches Ontario, where I live, or Maine, where I had it in a restaurant. Why they were serving farm-raised fish from China in Maine kind of mystifies me. I would think that flash-freezing it once and then keeping it that way until use wouldn’t affect the flavor too much. Strange that both times that I ate it, months and a thousand miles apart, it had the same odd flavor. I’ve never been all that keen on any of the cheap fishes with supposedly delicate flavors, though.
I am not disagreeing with those who've stated they've had Tilapia which tasted moldy, or rank. I have had the same experience here.
” tilapia farm-raised in China is probably far from fresh by the time it reaches Ontario”
Interesting. All the fresh Tilapia in Cleveland’s Chinatown comes from a company in Erie, Pa.. I go down to Asia Foods, point out a strong swimmer in the tank. Guy nets it, kills it, guts it, and scales it. I bring it straight home, and wash it again. Head stays on, as well as fins and tail. Put it on a fish plate on a big bed of baby carrots. Stuff it with shredded ginger, green onions and carrots. Put some more of that on top. Dribble on some Shaoxing wine and a little sesame oil. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then steam. Shanghai-style steamed fish. Abdo-lutely wonderful! The fish cheeks are worth fightin’ over!
Lately been eatin’ mostly ocean fish though. I watch for sales, and buy a bunch for the freezer.
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