Last night I made 2/3 of the meal I planned. By the time we sat down to eat it was almost
9pm, so fish sticks
and bok
choy slaw seemed sufficient.
Question:
I read somewhere that tilapia isn’t that healthy for us after all, and we should avoid it. What’s going on? Thanks! Marissa L.
Answer:
Hi Marissa! What’s going on is the interpretation of a recent study reported in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Researchers looked at the amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in a variety of seafood. You’ve no doubt heard of the health benefits associated with omega-3 fats, found predominantly in seafood. Omega-6 fats are prevalent in vegetable oils including soybean oil, safflower oil, and corn oil. Americans tend to eat too much omega-6 and too little omega-3 fats. One conclusion of this new study was that fish with less omega-3 content than omega-6, including tilapia, might actually be harmful to heart health. As you can imagine this was controversial since hundreds of studies have shown the protective effect of fish intake. While it is true that not all fish are created equal -- much like not all fruits and vegetables are created equal -- the important thing to remember is that a varied diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lowfat dairy, and lean meats and seafood, including tilapia, remains the cornerstone for good health.
While the hand wringing about whether tilapia is good for you continues unabated in the mainstream press one of the most respected medical research institutes in the world is saying consumers should not give up tilapia—despite the fact that one researcher has publically likened it to hamburger, bacon and doughnuts.
As a seafood dietitian, I often encounter what I like to
call “seafood slander.” This is
misinformation, usually in the media, about fish. This week was especially frustrating, because
of a handful of careless reports that claimed bacon, hamburgers, and doughnuts may be healthier than lean fish
like tilapia.
And then the other shoe drops-for days now we've been battered with misguided, poorly researched news reports that repeat from the rafters a sensational claim that bacon and doughnuts might have more healthful properties than tilapia.
Letter from experts takes aim at sloppy suggestion that tilapia is unhealthy
July 17, 2008 Washington, DC – In response to confusing reports, an international coalition of more than a dozen doctors spoke out today to clarify that fish like tilapia are low in total and saturated fat, high in protein and clearly part of a healthy diet.
A report from Wake Forest University in the July issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association about the types of fats in popular seafood has lead to reports that bacon, hamburgers, and doughnuts are a better choice than certain fish.
The 16 dietary fats experts, led by Dr. William Harris of the Sanford School of Medicine, write, ”Replacing tilapia or catfish with ‘bacon, hamburgers or doughnuts’ is absolutely not recommended.’”
In explaining the specifics of the omega-3 versus omega-6 debate, the researchers note that omega-6s are not only found in fish like tilapia, but vegetable oils, nuts, whole-wheat bread and chicken. They go on to highlight the fact that the American Heart Association and the American Dietetic Association agree that, “omega-6 fatty acids are, like omega-3’s, heart-healthy nutrients which should be part of everyone’s diet.”
The coalition, including one expert from Wake Forest University, says unequivocally that while they are not rich in omega-3 fatty acids, fish like catfish and tilapia, “should be considered better choices than most other meat alternatives.”
“In this letter we see doctors from schools in England, Germany, Korea and Australia teaming up with researchers from US institutions including Sanford School of Medicine, Penn State and Harvard School of Public Health to say wait a minute, what you are reading in the press is misleading,” said Jennifer Wilmes, registered dietitian with the National Fisheries Institute. “It’s heartening to see careless, sound-bite-science being challenged.”
For more than 60 years, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and its members have provided American families with the variety of sustainable seafood essential to a healthy diet. For more information visit: www.AboutSeafood.com.
###
Contact Information:
Gavin Gibbons
703.752.8891
ggibbons@nfi.org
The tilapia story is still bouncing around out there with misinformed journalists repeating the easily digestible but off-base, sound-bite science that continues to suggest eating doughnuts and bacon rather than tilapia because of their differing "health properties."
