Originally published December 18 2005
Contaminants in fish oil may raise the risk of cancer
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Journal of Nutrition has published a study led by David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University of Albany's School of Public Health, and the results suggest that salmon from particular sources and farms endanger eaters with contaminants that increase the risk of cancer.
Before rushing to make salmon a staple of a heart-healthy diet, consumers should check the origin of their fish supply, a new study recommends.
It turns out where the salmon comes from -- and what they are fed -- determine whether the health risks will outweigh the benefits, according to the study recently published in the Journal of Nutrition.
Researchers found that the contaminant levels in farmed salmon from certain regions of the world increased the risk of cancer enough to outweigh the heart health benefits of salmon.
"That's pretty horrendous," said David Carpenter, lead author of the study and director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the state University at Albany's School of Public Health.
While the toxin levels in wild salmon weren't high enough to exceed the health benefits, the same wasn't true for farmed salmon, which are raised on a diet of fish oil.
The level of contaminants in fish oil -- often derived from local fish -- vary depending on the region of the world.
"What [the salmon] are fed turns out to be a huge part of the story," said Steven Schwager, an author of the report and researcher at Cornell University.
Farmed salmon from South America had the lowest level of pollutants followed by farmed salmon from North America.
Prompted by other studies indicating that fish oil increases the levels of toxins in farm-raised salmon, some fish farmers in recent years have switched to using vegetable oil pellets.
To determine whether the heart health benefits of farmed salmon were worth the risk, researchers used advisories developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency for cancer effects and the fish consumption advisory issued by the American Heart Association.
Salmon and other fatty fishes like mackerel and sardines are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, the healthy fat that scientists say raises the "good" HDL cholesterol and lowers the "bad" tryglicerides.
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