J. Douglas Bremner
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 There is a lot of other stuff in fish, however, and it is not clear if the health benefits can be attributed directly to eating fish or to what you avoid by eating fish instead of other stuff.
The Bottom Line
I argue that if you are healthy; exercise; are not overweight; don't smoke; don't have a family history of heart disease, familial hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, or diabetes but have high cholesterol, you should not take a statin or any cholesterol-lowering drug. It's better to change your lifestyle.
Decrease the amount of animal fat you consume. |
Peter J. Whitehouse and Daniel George
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 The dark side offish
It does bear mentioning that eating fish to obtain your n-3 fatty acids is a double-edged sword, because the trace toxins that become absorbed in the skin of fish—mercury, PCBs, and arsenic—can do damage to brain membrane and cause nerve damage. While studies have demonstrated that the benefits of eating fish tend to outweigh the risks,11 it is prudent to consider the type of fish you consume. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 High-risk men in the WOSCOP study (a statin drug study) achieved about a 30 percent reduction in heart disease by going on drugs, but the women in the Nurses' Health Study showed 31 percent reduction in heart disease just by eating fish once a week. As Harvard's Dr. Abramson puts it, "Most of our health is determined by how we live our lives."
What about Organic?
One thing that became abundantly clear in researching this book was that it was really necessary to define terms like "grass fed," "organic," "cage free," "free range," and the like. |
Jack Challem
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 In experiments, researchers fed mice diets containing the same amounts of vegetable oils, saturated fats, or fish oils. Mice eating fish oils remained the leanest, whereas those eating the most vegetable oils gained the greatest amount of weight, even more than the mice eating saturated fats. Other studies have found that laboratory animals that consumed monounsaturated fats (such as olive oil) were less likely to gain weight, compared with mice that ate the same number of calories in saturated fats.
Human studies show substantial weight-loss benefits with the addition of omega-3 fish oils. |
| If you follow our dietary recommendations for eating fish, lean meats, and high-fiber vegetables, your total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides will likely decrease. These same eating habits will reduce inflammation and clotting to more normal levels. You can enhance the benefits by adding various dietary supplements, some of which we discussed in earlier chapters.
Supplements That Might Reduce Your Cardiovascular Risk
To lower your cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, consider taking one or two of these supplements:
• Beta-sitosterol, 1.3 to 3.6 grams daily. |
Dr. Steve Blake
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 Most of the exposure to mercury in America is from eating fish and shellfish. Fish and shellfish accumulate a highly toxic organic form of mercury called methylmercury.
Quiz
Refer to the text in this chapter if necessary. A good score is at least 8 correct answers out of these 10 questions. The answers are listed in the back of this book.
1. Which form is found in food?
(a) Iodine.
(b) Iodide.
(c) Thyroxine.
(d) Triiodothyronine.
2. Iodide, in thyroid hormones, controls:
(a) Growth.
(b) Reproduction.
(c) Metabolism.
(d) All of the above.
3. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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| But for goodness' sake, do not stop eating fish. The good stuff in it will do more for you than the bad stuff will do you harm, especially if you choose your sources carefully. One source I personally like a lot is Vital Source, linked on my Web site, www.jonnybowden.com, in the shopping section under "Healthy Foods."
> z a to m
> -n
O
O a experts* top ten —
Alan R. Gaby, M.D.
Alan R. Gaby is a legend and a pioneer in the world of integrative medicine. The Wright-Gaby seminars in nutritional medicine (cotaught with Dr. |
Devra Davis
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 Researchers at several nearby universities recently examined the genes of people who have been catching and eating fish heavily contaminated with DDT for nearly fifty years. Those who had eaten the most fish had the greatest numbers of abnormal cells and risk of breast cancer.4
When my meeting with Danforth and Thomas ended, the senator and his aide both assured me they realized that our work rested on solid foundations, and that the senators would support the new legislation of Culver and Stafford to clean up waste sites. |
Marshall Editions
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 NATUROPATHY
Diet: The oil in cold-water fish like salmon, herring, and mackerel is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. eating fish twice a week can help replenish the moisture lost in dry hair. Taking 2 tbsp of flaxseed oil a day can also help replenish hair oils. Drink 10, 8 oz glasses of water a day to replenish some of the body's internal dryness. Consuming good quality protein, such as cold-water fish, organic grassfed meats, and organic chicken, nourishes hair follicles by restoring protein, from which hair is primarily made. Whole grains mixed with legumes are also good sources of protein. |
Michael Pollan
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 While the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences found little conclusive evidence that eating fish would do your heart much good (and might hurt your brain, because so much fish is contaminated with mercury), a Harvard study brought the hopeful piece of news that simply by eating a couple of servings of fish each week (or by downing enough fish oil tablets) you could cut your risk of dying from a heart attack by more than a third. |
Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN
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| This means that people eating fish contaminated by DDT are actually consuming an exponentially greater amount of the toxic chemical than was originally washed into the lake!
Shocking Fact: Some studies estimate 99% of the breastmilk in women residing in the United States contains measurable levels of DDT.
One commonly used POP, organochlorine, may also be responsible for contaminating the worlds seafood supply, since pesticides can run off from the land into bodies of water. |
Marshall Editions
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| A typical wholesome diet consists of drinking plenty of water and eating fish, whole grains, and fresh fruit and vegetables. Use cold-pressed nut oil for a cooking base or to add to a salad, as it contains healthy levels of vitamin E, which helps to nourish the endocrine system—the system responsible for hormone production. Wheat germ also has high levels of vitamin E and can be added to smoothies and salads. Snacking on pumpkin seeds can be helpful, especially for men, because their high zinc content nourishes the prostate gland—the gland that produces the most semen. |
Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.
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 While most studies have shown that eating fish even once a week reduces heart attack and stroke risk, there are serious drawbacks to eating fish containing large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. The main danger is that fish with the highest omega-3 fatty acid content also have the highest methylmercury levels. Serious accumulations of mercury can occur from eating these types of fish regularly.
Another concern is pesticide and herbicide residue in seafood. |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
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 Norwegian researchers concluded that eating fish like mackerel, herring, and salmon will significantly reduce the risk of heart disease. As little as one serving of 300 grams of fish per week will provide the benefit. They suggested that the minimal dietary requirement for EPA and DHA should be about 200 mg per day.80
Keep in mind that fish oil has anticoagulation effects that may act synergistically with medications like warfarin, and therefore caution should be exercised in supplementing with fish oil in people who are taking these medications. |
Gabriel Cousens
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 They found that mothers eating fish only two or three times a month produced babies weighing seven to nine ounces less at birth and with smaller heads.21 Jacobsen, in a 1986 follow-up study reported in Child Development, found that there was a definite correlation between the amount of fish the mothers ate and the child's brain development, even if fish was eaten only once a month. He found that the more fish the pregnant mothers ate, the lower was the verbal IQ of the children.22 These children also had lower SAT scores seventeen to eighteen years later. |
| Most toxicity experts agree that the main source of human contamination comes from eating fish from waters in which the PCB levels are high, which today can be almost anywhere. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that fish can accumulate up to nine million times the level of PCBs in the water in which they live. PCBs have been found in fish from the deepest and most remote parts of the world's oceans.
Fish and shellfish are natural accumulators of toxins, because they live and are flushed by the water in which they dwell. |
Elaine Magee
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 Start by eating fish a couple times a week. This may help lower triglycerides, especially if fish replaces other foods containing saturated a ad trans fats.
Add omega-3 fatty acids from plant foods, too. Switch to canola oil in your cooking. Other top plant sources of omega-3s are ground flaxseed, broccoli, cauliflower, cantaloupe, and red kidney beans. (Talk to your doctor about adding a tablespoon of ground flaxseed a day.) This may help reduce serum triglycerides along with total and LDL cholesterol.
Add soluble fiber. |
Peter J. Whitehouse and Daniel George
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| The study was encouraging but should hardly be taken as proof that eating fish oil prevents dementia.
That caveat aside, repeated epidemiological findings associating an increase in n-3 fatty acids with a decrease in mortality, cardiovascular disease, depression, aggression, and dementia do suggest that we should take the consumption of n-3 fatty acids seriously. N-3 fatty acids are sold as over-the-counter supplements in most drugstores, but readers should be aware that excessive ingestion offish oil supplements has been known to cause bleeding in some people. |
Gabriel Cousens
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| From a practical point of view, eating fish is potentially dangerous because of the widespread, ever-increasing pollution of the waters of the world. The biggest water contaminants are PCBs and mercury. PCBs, along with dioxin, DDT, and dieldrin, are among the most toxic chemicals on the planet. According to John Culhane, in his 1980 article "PCBs: The Poisons That Won't Go Away," only a few parts per billion of these substances can cause cancer and birth defects in lab animals.19 The tenth annual Council on Environmental Quality, sponsored by the U.S. |
Peter J. Whitehouse and Daniel George
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| While studies have demonstrated that the benefits of eating fish tend to outweigh the risks,11 it is prudent to consider the type of fish you consume. Conventional wisdom is that larger species of fish such as tuna, king mackerel, shark, or swordfish usually pose a greater threat than smaller species, since toxins accumulate in greater levels the higher you go up the food chain. Currently, the U.S. |
David Steinman
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 If that's the case, maybe we should not be eating fish with cancers, sexual abnormalities, and reproductive difficulties. Could these tumors and scars resulting from the chemicals of global warming be passed on to us?
Some of the most basic chemicals of global warming are the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, which are produced by the incomplete combustion in the burning of fossil fuel, particularly coal and petroleum. |
Elaine Magee
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| While eating fish (preferably fatty fish) a couple times a week is a great way to achieve half a gram a day, reaching a whole gram a day may require eating foods enriched with fish omega-3s or taking fish oil supplements. And there's the rub.
According to some omega-3 experts, vitamin E isn't as critical when you get your omega-3s from natural food sources like canola oil or ground flaxseed. "No need to add vitamin E to increasing fish intakes," says Richard Deckelbaum, MD, a lipid researcher and director of the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University in New York. |
Joseph E. Mario
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 Pompano One of the finest eating fish. Salmon Good Protein; 15-17% Fat. Scallops Good Protein, Vitamins, and Minerals. Shrimp Good Protein, Calcium, and Phosphorus.
Red Snapper One of the best eating fish; with Protein, Minerals, Vitamins, and
Trace minerals. Sole SEE Flounder. Swordfish Good Protein.
Trout Good Protein and Trace minerals; 16% Fat.
Tuna The highest in Protein, 25.2%. Sometimes albacore or bonito.
Whitefish High Protein; Vitamins A; B Vitamins; Phosphorus; andiron. |
Elaine Magee
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| But did you also know that eating fish omega-3s with plant omega-3s brings even bigger and better results?
New research is revealing that different foods with the same or complementary mechanisms of action in the body can provide greater health benefits when enjoyed together than either single food could alone. That sounds like food synergy to me, folks! Keep reading because, in this chapter, we will talk about the amazing food partnerships that we know or suspect have synergy! |
Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.
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| While most studies have shown that eating fish even once a week reduces heart attack and stroke risk, there are serious drawbacks to eating fish containing large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. The main danger is that fish with the highest omega-3 fatty acid content also have the highest methylmercury levels. Serious accumulations of mercury can occur from eating these types of fish regularly.
Another concern is pesticide and herbicide residue in seafood. |
Ron Garner
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 In the mid-iooos, residents of Minamata, Japan became very ill, with many of them dying after eating fish and shellfish contaminated by mercury that had been dumped from a chemical plant into Minamata Bay. This problem became known as the dancing cat disease because of the tremors and uncontrollable muscle spasms observed in the fish-eating, poisoned cats of Minamata. Now, throughout most of the world, afflictions from mercury poisoning are referred to as Minamata disease. |
Elaine Magee
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| The AHA recommends eating fish (particularly fatty types like salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, and albacore tuna) at least twice a week.
8. A little wine will do fine. If you drink, enjoying a moderate amount of alcohol (one or two drinks per day) seems to have a beneficial effect on stroke risk, but excessive drinking (more than three drinks a day) actually raises the risk of stroke and the incidence of diabetes.
The systolic reading measures the pressure in the blood vessels during that split second when the heart pumps out the blood. |
The Editors of FC&A
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| In any case, eating fish seems to be a positive step for the health of your eyes. After tuna, your best choices are other cold-water fish like mackerel, salmon, and sardines. Non-fish foods with omega-3 fatty acids are walnuts, flaxseed, and wheat germ.
Substitute snack foods. You can get rid of unhealthy fats in your diet by rearranging some of your snack food choices. Try these ideas to have stronger eyes, better heart health, and leftover grocery money.
• Substitute popcorn for potato chips in front of the TV.
• Order a baked potato instead of french fries when you're at a restaurant. |
| Whole fish and fish oil supplements both contain EPA, but it would be very difficult to get the amounts used in this study just from eating fish. If you're considering fish oil supplements, take 1,000 milligrams (1 gram) of EPA each day since that's the amount that worked best in the study. More isn't necessarily better — larger doses were actually less helpful.
Remember to talk to your doctor before taking fish oil supplements. They're naturally rich in vitamins A and D which can be toxic in large doses. |
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