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Keep saying yes to fish twice a week for heart health

Date:
May 17, 2018
Source:
American Heart Association
Summary:
A new scientific advisory reaffirms the recommendation to eat two servings of fish per week.
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A new scientific advisory reaffirms the American Heart Association's recommendation to eat fish- especially those rich in Omega-3 fatty acids twice a week to help reduce the risk of heart failure, coronary heart disease, cardiac arrest and the most common type of stroke (ischemic). The advisory is published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

"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.

The Association recommends eating two 3.5-ounce servings of non-fried fish, or about ¾ cup of flaked fish every week. Emphasis should be placed on eating oily fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines or albacore tuna, which are all high in omega-3 fatty acids.

The advisory was written by a panel of nutrition experts, who also reviewed studies about mercury in fish. Mercury is found in most seafood but is prevalent in large fish such as shark, swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, bigeye tuna, marlin and orange roughy. The writing group concluded that while mercury contamination may be associated with serious neurological problems in newborns, existing scientific research finds that mercury contamination does not have adverse effects on heart disease risk in adults, and the benefits of eating fish substantially outweigh any risks associated with mercury contamination, especially if a variety of seafood is consumed.

The importance of environmentally sustainable fish farming techniques and other topics are also briefly discussed in the advisory. A previously published American Heart Association advisory on Omega-3 fish oil supplements noted that the supplements are not recommended for the general public to prevent clinical cardiovascular disease because of a lack of scientific evidence regarding any effect on cardiovascular risk.


Story Source:

Materials provided by American Heart Association. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Eric B. Rimm, Lawrence J. Appel, Stephanie E. Chiuve, Luc Djoussé, Mary B. Engler, Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Dariush Mozaffarian, David S. Siscovick, Alice H. Lichtenstein. Seafood Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association. Circulation, 2018; CIR.0000000000000574 DOI: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000574

Cite This Page:

American Heart Association. "Keep saying yes to fish twice a week for heart health." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 May 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180517081837.htm>.
American Heart Association. (2018, May 17). Keep saying yes to fish twice a week for heart health. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 27, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180517081837.htm
American Heart Association. "Keep saying yes to fish twice a week for heart health." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180517081837.htm (accessed March 27, 2024).

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