Research published in the 08/05/08 issue of the journal Neurology, finds that fish may be brain food after all. This study found that certain fish can lower the risk of cognitive decline and stroke as you get older. The benefit appears to come from fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids; eating fish such as tuna 3x/week can reduce the risk of dementia or stroke by 26%.

The Best Fish to Eat

An article published in the July, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Assoc. (J Am Diet Assoc 2008;108:1178–85) revealed that some fish is better than others when it comes to certain health needs and goals.

The authors acknowledge that there is a wealth of research that shows eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent and treat diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, and some cancers.

Some highlights of their findings include:

• Sockeye salmon, Coho salmon and Copper River salmon had a high ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids.
• Tuna, one of the most commonly eaten fish in the US, had a low level of omega-3 fatty acids, but it also had a low omega-6 level, so its ratio remained favorable.
• On the other end of the spectrum, farmed tilapia and catfish had low levels of omega-3 and poor omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratios

Of all the fish reviewed in this study, tilapia received the most attention for its unfavorable fatty acid content. The authors concluded that, “to give the pros and cons of fish consumption some real world perspective, consider that eating moderate amounts of farmed tilapia is roughly equivalent to other staples of the average diet, and may be a reasonable option for some people.

For those at risk for inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, fish with a good omega-3 to -6 ratio (like salmon) are the best choice.

The Bottom Line... The Bottom Line... The Bottom Line...

The message this week is to eat more fish with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. However, frying the fish destroys the benefit. It is possible, that people who eat fish regularly, may also have other healthy habits. Greg M. Cole, associate director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, said that fish consumption, along with other components of a healthy diet, may explain the study's findings. Lifestyle people, lifestyle!