Text and Photos by Evangeline T. Capuno
Most Filipinos are like Dolly Parton. “I’m on a seafood diet – I see food, I eat it,” the American singer and actress once said.
A Filipino consumes an average of 28 kilograms of fish and fishery products per year. This includes various types of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and processed fish.
Historically, fish consumption per capita in the country reached an all-time high of 37.8 kilograms in 1975 and an all-time low of 21.3 kilograms in 1962.
These days, it’s not only Filipinos who are consuming fish. The biggest reason: fish is good for your heart.
“A diet that includes fatty fish (fish with more than 5% fat) has long been touted to support heart health,” wrote Matthew Solan, executive editor of Harvard Men’s Health Watch. “Population-based studies have found that people who regularly eat fatty fish have a lower risk of heart disease compared with those who don’t eat fish.”
Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health, agrees. “If you eat a modest amount of fish, you dramatically decrease your risk of dying from a heart attack.”
Findings from 30 large studies conducted around the world show that people who consume just one or two servings of fish per week lower their risk of a fatal heart attack by an average of 36 percent, according to Dr. Mozaffarian.
Heart disease among Filipinos
That’s good news since the World Health Organization (WHO) reported the Philippines had the “worst” records in 2019 when it comes to heart disease in Southeast Asian nations. That year, about 120 out of every 100,000 Filipinos died of ischemic or coronary heart disease. That’s significantly higher than the 2015 record of 103 per 100,000 Filipinos.
From January to September 2023, heart disease remained the top cause of death in the country, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Now, the good news: If you have already had a heart attack before, shifting to a high-fish diet can cut your chances of future deadly attacks by one third. It’s because fish contains Omega-3 fatty acids, a type of unsaturated fatty acid.
“They may lower inflammation in the body,” says the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic. “Inflammation in the body can hurt blood vessels. Blood vessel damage may lead to heart disease and stroke.”
Omega-3 fatty acids
According to the Mayo Clinic, Omega-3 fatty acids may keep the heart healthy by slightly lowering blood pressure, lower levels of fats called triglycerides in the blood, and lower the risk of irregular heartbeats.
An article which appeared in Journal of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition said omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil prevent heart disease by exerting an antiarrhythmic effect on the heart, by inhabiting the developing of narrowing arteries, by reducing the levels of undesirable lipoproteins in the blood, and by reducing blood clots within intact blood vessels.
“If your heart high blood pressure is caused by hardening of the arteries, heart disease, or high cholesterol, fish oil may be just what the doctor ordered,” wrote the editors of Super Life, Super Health. “The higher your cholesterol levels and the worse your heart disease, the better fish oil works to lower your blood pressure.”
The best sources of omega-3s are bass (striped), herring, mackerel, oysters, sablefish, salmon, trout (freshwater), and tuna. “Try to eat at least two servings a week of fish,” Mayo Clinic suggests. A serving size is 113 grams or about the size of a deck of cards.
Brain food
But your heart is not the only human part that benefits from fish – your brain, too. This idea goes back at least a century; the famous humorist and novelist P.G. Wodehouse often mentioned it in his books.
Older folks considered fish as “brain food” and now scientists have evidence to back the claim. A 2007 study of nearly 12,000 pregnant women found that children born to mothers who ate more than 340 grams of seafood per week during pregnancy scored six points higher on tests of verbal IQ than kids born to mothers who had other foods on the menu.
Another study, which appeared in Neurology (November 2021), also showed evidence that seafood seems to support brain health. Eating fish regularly, according to the study, may shield delicate blood vessels in the brain from subtle damage that can lead to mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or stroke.
A previous study, in 2016, by Martha Clare Morris and colleagues at Rush Medical Center in Chicago concluded that eating fish regularly was associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Still another study, done in Sweden, found that young men who ate fish more than once a week scored nearly 11 percent higher on IQ tests than males who rarely ate seafood. And in later years, fish eaters appear to be less likely to develop dementia.
But you haven’t heard anything yet. A study published in Biological Psychiatry has shown that omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent depression. Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, who studied the health benefits of fish at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, discovered omega-3 fatty acids can raise the levels of serotonin and dopamine, two brain chemicals that are thought to play a role in depression.
More than 30 clinical trials have tested different omega-3 preparations in people with depression, reported Dr. David Mischoulon, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Most studies have used omega-3s as add-on therapy for people who are taking prescription antidepressants with limited or no benefit.
“Fewer studies have examined omega-3 therapy alone. Clinical trials typically use EPA alone or a combination of EPA plus DHA,” Dr. Mischoulon said. Fish contains the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, namely EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
Meta-analyses (research that combines and analyzes results of multiple studies) generally suggest that the omega-3s are effective, but the findings are not unanimous. “The most effective preparations appear to have at least 60% EPA relative to DHA,” said Dr. Mischoulon. “While DHA is thought to be less effective as an antidepressant, it may have protective effects against suicide.”
The oil from fish appears to have anti-inflammatory properties and has been researched as a treatment for many conditions including inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. It also has some preventive effects for Parkinson’s disease.
The Mayo Clinic suggests that to get the most health benefits from eating fish, pay attention to how it’s cooked. For example, grilling, broiling, or baking fish is a healthier option than deep-frying.
Mercury rising
So, when is fish not so good for your health? Almost all fish is contaminated with trace amounts of mercury. While most healthy adults have no problem eliminating the mercury from their bodies, children and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid some types of fish and shellfish to reduce their risk of mercury exposure.
Fish that contain the low level of mercury are anchovies, catfish, clam, crab, haddock, hake, herring, salmon, sardines, shrimp, trout (freshwater), tuna, and whitefish. The following have higher content of mercury: swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and tilefish. “Avoid eating them, as much as possible,” experts warn.
Parents are urged not to give young children fish that contain potentially high levels of mercury. “Kids should eat fish from choices lower in mercury once or twice a week,” the Mayo Clinic states. “The serving size of fish for kids younger than age 2 is 28 grams and increases with age.” – ###
