Fish Oil Health Benefits: Fatty Fish vs. Lean Fish

Eating fish is a healthy thing to do. It’s high in protein, iron and vitamin B12 and very low in saturated fat and provides a whole range of significant health benefits.

But not all fish is created equal.

Some fish are fatty and some are lean and it’s the fatty fish that contains the most omega 3 fatty acids, which many scientists call the most miraculous health discovery of the 20th century.

Danish scientists, some thirty years ago, discovered Greenland Eskimos had extremely low heart disease risk. This was despite the fact they ate a high fat diet of mostly fatty fish and blubber. Ever since then, researchers from all over the world have been studying fish oil health benefits and their conclusions are nothing short of amazing.

To begin with, so to speak, fish oil omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), are absolutely essential for conception, healthy pregnancy, optimum growth and development of the fetus and the prevention of asthma, juvenile diabetes and ADD/ADHD.

Omega 3 DHA and EPA have also been found to significantly reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

That’s why the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends everyone eat fatty fish at least once or twice a week and those people with or at high risk for heart disease take daily fish oil supplements.

Omega 3 DHA and EPA are also nature’s most potent anti-inflammatories and have been found to be extremely effective at preventing and reducing the severity of symptoms of such inflammatory conditions as arthritis, bursitis, emphysema, irritable bowel syndrome and colitis, to name just a few.

That’s why so many other nutrition and health organizations also strongly recommend everyone eat fatty fish at least once and twice a week and/or take daily fish oil supplements.

Bu, like I said, “Not all fish are created equal.”

Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel, contains as much as 20 to 30 times as much omega 3 DHA and EPA fatty acids than lean fish. Lean fish include cod, halibut, shellfish and fresh water fish.

Eat fish either baked or broiled and not battered and deep fried. Also, according to a recent Harvard University School of Public Health study, as long as you avoid larger, predatory species such as shark and swordfish, the enormous health benefits of fatty fish far outweigh any perceived threat of mercury poisoning.

So eat fish and lots of it to get healthy and stay healthy.

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