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.
Your recipe sounds good. I tend to lean towards a slight Italian flavor. Basically just rinse off the filets, roll them in Italian seasoned bread crumbs and saute them in some good olive oil. I’ll have to give the Panko a try. I bet that makes a nice coating (I’ll probably skip the tarragon - I like it, but it tends to overpower the other seasonings, and the rest of the family isn’t so keen on it).
Farm raised may be the deal breaker.
A healthy diet should consist of roughly one omega-3 fatty acids to four omega-6 fatty acids. A typical American diet, however, tends to contain 11 to 30 times more omega-6 than omega-3 fatty acids.
In contrast, a Mediterranean diet is made up of a healthier and more appropriate balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The Mediterranean diet includes a generous amount of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, olive oil, and garlic; plus, there is little meat, which is high in omega-6 fatty acids.
There are several different types of omega-6 fatty acids. Most omega-6 fatty acids are consumed in the diet from vegetable oils as linoleic acid (LA; be careful not to confuse this with alpha-linolenic acid [ALA] which is an omega-3 fatty acid). Linoleic acid is converted to gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in the body and then further broken down to arachidonic acid (AA). AA can also be consumed directly from meat, and GLA can be ingested from several plant-based oils including evening primrose oil (EPO), borage oil, and black currant seed oil.
Tilapia is too mushy, I prefer Crappie or white or striped bass. Mmmmmmmmm.
I do like Pacific Slimehead though.
(Otherwise known as Orange Roughy...)
Fish farmers put tilapia in their ponds after they pick out the striped bass, because tilapia eats the fish waste from the bass.
Tilapia is one of those foods that the UN, the internationalists and environmentalists want you to eat so there is more of the good stuff for them. It will also help them achieve their goal of population decimation because you’ll die sooner than them too from eating bad food.
Try some striped bass, cut into good sized chunks put into
ramkins and cover with shrimp bisque, bake at 350 for 20 minutes, cover with grated white cheese then put under the broiler for 4-5 minutes to brown. mmmmmmmm.
Striped bass is firm white flesh that is the best in fish eating, fried broiled smoked, SMOKED, its ambrosia!!
Plus it is usually a good sized fish with some filets weighing as much as 10 to 20 pounds. Pricey in the market
best fresh caught in the surf or fresh water rivers.
Terrific fighter too.
my best is 28lbs. but my 8year old nephews record is 35lbs.
28 lbs? 35 lbs! WOW. Those are very memorable catches. A friend of mine caught an 800-lb tuna in the Atlantic. Saw the photo, etc. But I couldn't resist referring to him as the Tuna Master, thereafter; the idea of such a catch being so mind boggling. He sold the Tuna to a Japanese firm and made quite a bundle.
I had to tell you this story in figurative retaliation for that mouth watering description of striped bass on a plate. Mmm-mm.
I can imagine a fight with a 28 pounder or a 35-pounder (not that I've had such an occurrance). But an 800 lb tuna catch had me imagining Captain Ahab, the white Whale, and the ever flapping arm as Ahab died, lashed to the beast. Beam me up...asap...
Tuna that size are no joke, I’ve caught some in the thirty/fifty lb size and that was working up a sweat,
I have a friend who fishes for them in the big size, he says
it’s like being hooked to a volkswagen.
They do bring a pretty penny at market though, especially if you know how to treat them after boating.
I got the striper bug about 15 years ago and turned into a fanatic, took my ex a lot, once she turned to me with tears
on her cheeks and asked, “Why are we here?”
I said, “To catch stripers , why? “
“Oh she replied, I thought we were here to have fun, wimper”. I think that is what you call an epiphiny or something, so now I’m laid back about it, too bad about the ex though, she finally had learned to chop bait too.
That's pretty much how I imagine it: The Tuna Wagging the boat!
I also know that when I find a fish that tasty, I become quite happily looking for any opportunity to fish.
I got the striper bug about 15 years ago and turned into a fanatic, took my ex a lot, once she turned to me with tears on her cheeks and asked, “Why are we here?” I said, “To catch stripers , why? “ “Oh she replied, I thought we were here to have fun, wimper”. I think that is what you call an epiphiny or something, so now I’m laid back about it, too bad about the ex though, she finally had learned to chop bait too.
Forgive me for laughing, but your telling of it is very entertaining. Sounds like an epiphany moment for both of you, then. You with dreams of striper bass; she with dreams of you, her striper bass.
Well, lol, in re her skill attained to chopping bait. It's kinda simple. As my dad used to say to me at moments in my life: "It's fish or cut bait time, dear..." I can do both. I think tho on that Tuna hunt, I'd be cutting bait, by choice, not wanting my arms yanked off, toppled into the drink by the lurch of being yanked by line by Charlie the Tuna.:)
I'd have given my eye teeth to have been on that boat, tho. WOW. Anything I could do to help reel him in. Yep. I like a good fish fight.
I don’t eat any farm-raised seafood since I heard a report about the fish farms in southeast Asia feeding the fish waste from chicken houses. You just don’t know where that frozen stuff came from...
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