Fish Oil Ice Cream?
A recent article in Oregon’s Mail Tribune reviews several studies regarding the benefits of fish oil and then speculates about the likelihood of manufacturers using it as an additive in all kinds of foods, including ice cream!
The article does a good job of summarizing the science as well as the benefits of fish oil:
The two [omega-3] fatty acids in question � eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) � are purported to help your heart, your immune system, your mood, your aging brain and your dimming eyes. They�ve even been touted to possibly help ward off cancer.
However, I do have some problems with some of the advice offered, particularly regarding the American Heart Association’s (AHA) on consuming fish:
The American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults consume two servings of preferably oily fish per week and that people who already have heart disease or elevated blood levels of triglycerides aim for even higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their diets. In August, a panel of scientists helping update the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended that Americans raise their fish intake to two 4-ounce servings per week; Americans, on average, consume less than 3 ounces of fish per week and what they do eat tends to be of the nonfatty variety.
Eating oily fish twice a week would be a good recommendation if it weren’t for the high levels of mercury, dioxins and PCBs in both farmed and wild fish that Dr. Barry Sears discusses in his book, The OmegaRX Zone: The Miracle of the New High-Dose Fish Oil. His recommendation? Take Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil, or Ultra-Refined Fish Oil. The reason that health-food grade fish oil isn’t adequate is because it suffers the same faults that the fish do; they aren’t filtered of impurities to the same degree that ultra-refined fish oil is. In fact, it takes 100 bottles of health-food grade fish oil (like Carlson’s fish oil, the brand advocated by Dr. Mercola) to make ONE bottle of ultra-refined fish oil!
The article goes on to discuss the role of fish oil in preventing arrhythmia, slowing the development of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as “lowering the levels of triglycerides in the blood, reducing inflammation, slowing coronary artery thickening and reducing the tendency of blood to clot.” It also discusses the link between fish consumption and depression!
At the very end of the article, which I thought was useful, is a list of how much omega-3 fatty acid is contained in various kinds of fish. A more comprehensive list can be found in Dr. Sears’ new book, The Anti-Inflammation Zone, which I highly recommend.
Continue reading the article: Fish oil: A good health catch?
