Location: Home > food > Need more healthy omega-3's? Try canned fish
Need more healthy omega-3's? Try canned fishPosted May 2nd 2007 4:04PM by Jonathan M. ForesterFiled under: Fish, Did you know?, Light Food, Health & MedicalWe've all heard about eating fish to get more Omega-3's fatty acids in our diet. I was browsing through CNN.com and ran across an article on omega-3 in canned fish. Of the types of canned fish discussed the focus was on tuna and salmon. Tuna varieties have varying amounts amounts of omega-3's. Albacore, also called "white meat tuna," has the most with a four-ounce serving packed in water having 1.06 grams. You get 0.5 grams from a four ounce serving of albacore packed in oil. I thought this was interesting that the water pack is better for you having more omega-3's. The article says, "Since omega-3s are oils, they don't disperse when the fish is packed in water, and draining the water allows most of these beneficial fatty acids to remain in the fish. But tuna packed in oil provides an environment where the fish's natural oils intermingle with the packing oil, so when the can is drained, some of the omega-3 oils are lost."I didn't realize that canned salmon has even more omega-3's than tuna, with a four ounce serving having 2.2 grams. Unlike tuna, the omega-3 levels among salmon varieties are basically the same.The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least twice a week as a source of protein and that it is low in saturated fat. Canned fish can be a great, and convenient source of omega-3's. Fatty fish such as trout, sardines, tuna, and salmon are very high in omega-3 fatty acids, which may reduce the risk of heart disease. The benefits of omega-3's go far beyond heart health, and may prevent a variety of other health issues. They have anti-inflammatory, anti-clotting, and anti-arrhythmic properties. Which means that Omega-3 fatty acids reduce swelling and lower blood pressure. In addition, an ample amount of of omega-3s in your diet has beneficial effects on the brain by enhancing moods and sharpening your memory. They did make note about safety issues of mercury and PCB's in canned fish, stating "Salmon has been linked with cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). However, both wild and farm-raised salmon contain PCB levels well below the government's advisory level. There also have been concerns about tuna's levels of mercury, which is linked to neurological damage in unborn children. Although tuna is not on the government's mercury advisory list, pregnant or lactating women and young children should limit their consumption to 12 ounces of light tuna or 6 ounces of albacore weekly. Mercury levels are generally higher in large, older predatory fish because the mercury accumulates over the fish's lifetime. Despite these issues, many experts believe that the health benefits of eating fish outweigh the risks."
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