Fish Oil Benefits and Risks

Fish oil benefits make fish a Super Food… yet toxic contaminates require a careful look at its risks.

I’m alarmed over the rising levels of pollution in our oceans and water ways. It has far ranging effects, particularly on the world’s food supply. Among these effects are the rising levels of mercury, dioxin, and PCB in fish.

Fish and Fish Oil Benefits

In addition, fish intake including its fish oil benefits is a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet —proven to reduce heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Fish and/or fish oil benefits proves vital for brain, nerve, and vision health.

Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). There are 3 major types of omega-3 fatty acids: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Pregnant women need omega-3 fatty acids particularly DHA to support the baby’s rapidly developing brain and eyes during gestation (from conception to birth) and the first 2 years of life.

Research finds that babies of moms’ who do not get enough omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy are at risk of developing vision, brain, and nerve problems.

Fish oil benefits continue to accumulate as several studies suggest that fish consumption may help prevent and treat rheumatoid arthritis, depression, mood disorders, other psychiatric disorders, ischemic stroke, eye health, cognitive (memory and thinking) decline, dementia, diabetes, and the list keeps growing.

Fish and Fish Oil Contaminates

PCB and dioxin both are linked to cancer. Even though PCB was prohibited in 1997 and regulatory efforts decreased dioxin emissions by more that 90 percent, they both persist in the environment for long periods and are still present in low levels.

Researchers Dariush Mozaffarian and Eric B. Rimm found these contaminates are actually higher in beef, chicken, and pork; dairy products, and vegetables; than in fish and shellfish. But be advised, the level of these contaminates vary depending on location, so it’s a good idea to consult your regional advisories regarding locally caught fish.

Further, Dr. Andrew Weil noted a 1998 study indicating that tests of 44 different fish oil supplement brands sold from multiple countries were found to have “appreciable quantities of organochlorines including PCBs and pesticide residues.”

Mercury, a heavy metal that is poorly absorbed when ingested, is emitted from volcanoes and human sources such as coal-fired electricity, waste incinerators, mining, and others. Once in the atmosphere it cycles through rain into lakes and oceans where microbial activity converts it into organic methlymercury. Methylmercury is easily absorbed into tissues of fish and other marine life. Fish are the source of most mercury poisoning.

Methylmercury affects the immune system, alters genetic and enzyme systems, and damages the nervous system, including coordination and the senses of touch, taste, and sight. Methylmercury is particularly damaging to developing embryos, which are five to ten times more sensitive than adults.

The amount of methyl mercury in fish depends on the level of contamination, the length of the fish’s life, and its predatory nature.

Larger, longer-living, predatory fish like sharks and swordfish are more contaminated.

Shorter-lived, smaller fish like salmon and shellfish have less contamination.

Potential risks of eating “Farmed Fish” were identified in an article in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. The authors caution that “farmed fish,” fed the byproducts of cows, could potentially transmit infectious prions from cows with the dreaded bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) to humans. However, no such cases have been reported.

Key Facts:
Fish and Fish Oil Benefits and Risks

• The benefits of fish or fish oil in reducing cardiovascular disease,
• The effects of methylmercury and fish oil on early nerve and brain development,
• The risks of methylmercury for heart and neurologic outcomes of adults,
• The health risks of environmental pollutants: dioxins and PCBs in fish.

Their conclusion: “For major health outcomes among adults, based on both the strength of the evidence and the potential magnitudes of effect, the benefits of fish intake exceed the potential risks. For women of childbearing age, benefits of modest fish intake, excepting a few selected species, also outweigh risks.”

They found you could minimize your risk by choosing fish higher in omega-3 fatty acids and lower in mercury, such as:

• Salmon
• Herring
• Anchovies
• Sardines

They recommend women who are or may become pregnant and nursing mothers eat 12-ounces of fish and/or shellfish a week. This provides the omega-3 fatty acid DHA, important for early development of nerves, eyes and brain.

To protect against the potential harm of mercury these women should avoid eating fish higher in mercury, including:

• Shark
• Swordfish
• Golden bass
• King mackerel
• Blue fish
• Locally caught fish per advisories
• And, limit intake of albacore tuna (6 ounces per week)

These researchers found that the benefits of fish oil greatly exceed the risks of intake of dioxin and PCB, as their levels are low in fish.

Fish and Fish Oil Benefits:
Tips for Choosing Wisely

1. Eat at least 2 servings of fish a week.

• Protein (one of the riches sources there is)
• CoQ10 (a powerful enzyme, antioxidant and energy enhancer)
• L-carnitine (an amino acid that helps cells, particularly heart cells, make energy)
• Selenium (an important antioxidant)
• Vitamin D (one of the few food sources of this vital hormone)

2. Include foods and oils rich in alpha-linolenic acid in your diet:

• Flaxseed, Canola, and Soybean Oils
• Flaxseed
• Hempseed
• Chia
• Chiso
• Perrila
• Walnuts

3. If you have heart disease, follow the American Heart Association recommendations:

• For people with cardiovascular disease CHD take about 1 gram of EPA+DHA a day, preferably from fatty fish. Consult with your physician for taking EPA+DHA in capsule form.
• For people who need to lower their triglyceride levels take 2 to 4 grams of EPA+DHA a day under a doctor’s care.

4. However, don’t get carried away.

5. Choose oily fish low in mercury contaminants:

• Salmon
• Herring
• Sardines
• Anchovies
• Krill (small shrimp like marine life)

6. Avoid eating fish higher in mercury including: