Many people have heard that eating fish is good for health, but it is not clear why and where it is good to eat fish. Nutrition experts often say that eating four-legged is not as good as two-legged, and eating two-legged is not as good as not having one. The four legs refer to livestock, such as pigs, cows, sheep, etc., the two legs refer to birds, such as chickens, ducks, geese, etc., and the one without legs refers to "fish".
Photo by Health Times Cao Zihao
Recently, more and more top medical journals have published studies confirming that fish can be described as a "superfood" for the brain and heart, which is very good for brain and heart health, especially for one type of person, to eat more fish!
The study found that there is a category of people who want to eat more fish!
In December 2023, a study of more than 40,000 people published in the prestigious medical journal "Circulation" found that eating more fish to supplement omega-3 (omega-3) is very helpful in preventing cardiovascular disease. In particular, those who have close relatives (such as parents or siblings) with cardiovascular disease should eat more fish, especially oily fish!(1)
Many people have heard of crucian carp, grass carp, carp, and black fish, but few have heard of "oily fish". In fact, oily fish are fish that contain high levels of unsaturated fatty acids "omega-3", such as salmon, tuna, Atlantic salmon, sardines, whitebait, eels, trout and sea bream, etc., mainly some deep-sea fish.
Omega-3 fish oil, in the form of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), has a variety of physiological functions that cannot be synthesized by the body and can only be ingested through diet. Omega-3 is beneficial to the brain, cardiovascular, blood pressure, and inflammation, and many people do not consume enough in their daily intake.
The study included more than 40,000 participants from 10 different countries with a mean age at baseline of 62.7 years and a median follow-up of 12.3 years. During the follow-up period, nearly 8,000 participants developed cardiovascular disease.
The study analysis found that a close relative (such as a parent or sibling) with a lower daily intake of the omega-3 fatty acid EPA/DHA had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease by more than 40 percent, and a 25 percent increased risk if a close relative had cardiovascular disease but a high daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids.
Therefore, this study suggests that for those with a family history of cardiovascular disease, it is more recommended to eat more fish on a daily basis, especially oily fish.
Eel rice Photo by Health Times Kou Xiaowen
Fish is a "superfood" for the brain and heart
In March 2023, researchers from Zhejiang University and Shandong University published a study in the famous academic journal Science, discovering that the unsaturated fatty acid omega-3 in fish is beneficial to the brain. ②
Many people have heard of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in omega-3 known as "brain gold". This study also confirms that omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial because they are beneficial for brain cell metabolism. So people who eat more fish are more beneficial to their brain health.
Nutritionists recommend 8 types of fish, which are not inferior in nutrition to deep-sea fish
Although deep-sea fish are highly nutritious, they are small in quantity and high in price. Xue Qingxin, a member of the Chinese Nutrition Society and a registered dietitian, introduced in an article published in Science China in November 2023 that a study compared the muscle fat content and fatty acid composition of 15 freshwater fish, including grass carp, bighead carp, osmanthus fish, grouper, yellow catfish, crucian carp, dace, tilapia, loach, catfish, sunfish, mullet, sturgeon, carp, and sea bass. It was found that 8 species of freshwater fish were rich in DHA and were not inferior in nutrition to deep-sea fish. ③④
1. Sea bass: 22.73% DHA
2. Mullet: 15% DHA
3. Sunfish: DHA content is 14.57%
4. Dace: DHA content is 13.46%
5. Crucian carp: 11.91% DHA
6. 鲟鱼：DHA含量为11.47%
7. Grouper: 11.2% DHA
8. Osmanthus fish: DHA content is 11.16%
Therefore, if you can't buy deep-sea fish and want to supplement omega-3 and DHA through your diet, you can choose sea bass, mullet, sunfish, dace, crucian carp, sturgeon, grouper, and osmanthus, which are not bad. Among them, the most recommended is sea bass, which not only has excellent DHA content, but also has no small spines and is also economical.
These 4 types of fish are best not to eat
1. Fish that are not fully cooked
Eating undercooked fish can lead to parasitic infections. When cooking the fish, make sure that the fish is fully cooked. Also, do not put undercooked fish and other food on plates together to avoid cross-contamination.
2. Over-fried fish
Many people's favorite grilled fish is over-fried fish, which has a more attractive taste but is not good for health. First of all, the fish meat after frying at high temperature will produce free radicals, harmful substances such as benzopyrene, and carcinogens heterocyclic amines. Secondly, the proteins, vitamins, minerals, etc. in fish will be destroyed at high temperatures, which will seriously affect the absorption of nutrients.
3. Marinated salted fish
During the curing process, nitrite reacts with amines, the protein decomposition products in pickled products, to form nitrosamines, which are strong carcinogens. Long-term intake of nitrite in the human body will dilate blood vessels, denature hemoglobin, and increase the risk of cancer. It is recommended to use steaming to prepare the fish to preserve the nutrients of the fish to the greatest extent possible and avoid high oil and salt.
Dried salted fish Health Times map
4. Wild fish in poor environments
In the wild environment, plastic particles, metal pollution, pesticide pollution, etc. are uncontrollable and unpredictable, and there may even be some toxic bacteria, algae, and parasites, so it is not recommended to eat blindly. ⑤
This article is synthesized from:
①Role of Polyunsaturated Fat in Modifying Cardiovascular Risk Associated With Family History of Cardiovascular Disease: Pooled De Novo Results From 15 Observational Studies
②Mao C, Xiao P, Tao XN, et al. Unsaturated bond recognition leads to biased signal in a fatty acid receptor. Science. 2023 Mar 2:eadd6220. doi: 10.1126/science.add6220. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36862765.
(3)2023-11-02Popular Science China "It's okay not to eat marine fish, these 8 kinds of freshwater fish are not bad for DHA, highly recommended!" (Xue Qingxin)
(4) Han Yingxue, Lin Wanling, Yang Shaoling, Li Laihao, Huang Hui, Yang Xianqing, Wang Jinxu, Wu Yanyan, Zhai Honglei, Hao Shuxian.Analysis of muscle fat content and fatty acid composition of 15 freshwater fish[J].Science and Technology of Food Industry,2018,39(20):217-222
(5)2023-04-23Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital "Eating more fish is good for your health, but it's best not to eat these 4 kinds of fish! Some increase the risk of cancer!" (Health Times)