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Despite Contaminants, Fish Healthy for Most Men

April 7, 2005
Research continues to confirm that the omega-3 fatty acids found in oily, dark-fleshed fish offer genuine health benefits, especially to adult males, says the Harvard Men's Health Watch.

Mercury in Fish • High Mercury Levels Found In Sushi • Maternal Seafood Consumption Benefits Children's Development • Study: Benefits of Fish Outweigh the Risks • Tests Find Higher Mercury Content In Imported Tuna • Americans Confused about Mercury in Seafood, Survey Finds • Whole Foods Agrees to Post FDA's Mercury Warning • Americans Confused about Health Effects of Eating Fish • Mercury Levels Rising In Sport Fish • FDA Finds High Mercury Levels in Some Canned Light Tuna • Study: Moderate Fish Consumption Poses Mercury Risks • CSPI: Government Should Warn About Mercury in Fish • Whole Foods Pressed To Add Mercury Warnings • Warnings about Mercury in Fish May Do More Harm Than Good • Despite Contaminants, Fish Healthy for Most Men • Fish is Brain Food • FDA Urged to Crack Down on Tuna Mercury Levels • CA Restaurants Will Issue Fish Warnings • California Sues Tuna Canneries

Eating fish regularly can help ward off the serious heart rhythm disturbances associated with sudden cardiac death. It also appears to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes, mental decline in old age, and prostate cancer.

Fish oil is one way to get omega-3s, but the Harvard Men's Health Watch points out that eating fish provides other important nutrients like selenium, antioxidants, and protein. What's more, people who eat fish tend to consume less meat and cheese, and they may add other healthy foods to their diets, such as vegetables and brown rice.

But there is a small "catch" to this potent health food. Fish may absorb contaminants found in the waters. Methyl mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are of particular concern.

The Harvard Men's Health Watch explains that while pregnant women and children should limit intake of high-mercury species - swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish, among others - eating these fish is much less worrisome for adults.

Farmed fish such as salmon have little mercury, but they may have PCBs. The Harvard Men's Health Watch recommends removing the skin and fat before cooking to minimize exposure. Currently the EPA recommends limiting consumption of farmed and wild salmon.

Stricter environmental regulations are needed to reduce industrial pollution and protect the fish supply, and new FDA standards could help reduce the PCBs in farmed fish. In the meantime, the Harvard Men's Health Watch says that the American Heart Association's recommendation to eat two servings of fatty fish per week is a healthy move for most middle-aged and older men.

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