Continuing the "Seafood is Good for You" theme, eating seafood is a good idea-it's compatible with optimum dietary practices and recommendations, and it can help you maintain a low-fat diet. The bonus, the consumption of fish oils, provides additional heart and health benefits. 

Fish oils, like other fats or lipids, are composed of glycerol to which three fatty acids are attached. Fish oils are unique in that they are rich in essential polyunsaturated fatty acids called omega-3 fatty acids.  The most important omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood are eisopentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Fish and shellfish ingest and accumulate EPA and DHA through the food chain from microscopic algae and phytoplankton-the primary producers of omega-3 fatty acids.

Since our bodies poorly provide their own omega-3 fatty acids, we need to obtain them through food.  Although all fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, many contain very little. Oily fish are the best sources of these fatty acids, particularly salmon, fresh tuna, and trout.  The quantities of EPA and DHA also vary depending on diet, environment, and whether the fish is wild-caught or farm-raised. Most nutrition researchers say that eating seafood twice a week may be beneficial in preventing coronary heart disease.  Not only may the polyunsaturated fatty acids in seafood reduce the risk of arrhythmia in diseased heart muscle, but they also lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, two important indicators for heart disease.

Omega-3 Fatty-Acid Content in Wild vs. Farm-Raised Fish

Sources: P. M. Kris-Etherton et al. (2002), Circulation 106: 2747-2752; USDA Nutrient Laboratory Data.

Omega-3 fatty acids help maintain a critical balance of lipoproteins, reducing the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) that are responsible for depositing cholesterol along the walls of the arteries.  Omega-3 fatty acids also form a different pattern of prostaglandins (hormone-like compounds), which minimizes blood clot formation, reduces the number and stickiness of blood platelets, and makes red blood cells more flexible so that they flow through the arteries more smoothly.

Researchers suggest that increasing your intake of omega-3s from seafood provides many other health benefits in addition to helping prevent heart disease. An excellent anti-inflammatory agent, omega-3 fatty acids can help alleviate the symptoms of arthritis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, and psoriasis. They also may help counteract Alzheimer's disease, cystic fibrosis, depression, diabetes, emphysema, headaches, and some kidney diseases. Omega-3s also appear to be effective against some types of cancers; they may reduce the body's production of cancer-promoting enzymes, delay or reduce tumor development in breast cancer, and prevent the development of benign polyps into malignant colon tumors. 

About the Fishmonger

Doris Hicks, Seafood Technology Specialist, This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

As seafood specialist, for the University of Delaware Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service , Hicks works with both the seafood industry and consumers to develop educational programs about the proper way to handle, store, and prepare finfish and shellfish.  In addition to these outreach efforts, Hicks serves as a seafood safety instructor, providing training programs to seafood processors throughout the region. She also has conducted research with University of Delaware colleagues to explore new technologies for pasteurizing seafood.  Hicks received her bachelor's degree in food science from Rutgers University and her master's degree in food science and human nutrition from the University of Delaware.

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