Wild
Fish
If you have a choice in your shopping, select fish that
is “wild caught” for two key reasons:
1)
Exceptional Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acid ratio.
A diet high in Omega-6 fatty acids and low in Omega-3
fatty acids is implicated in depression. We need more
Omega-3s and fewer Omega-6s. A 1990 study in the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that wild salmon has
about eleven times more Omega-3 fatty acids than
Omega-6. Farmed salmon has about six times more.
(Farmed salmon has a favorable level of Omega-3s as
well, but the Omega-3 composition is slightly lower
and the Omega-6 higher). The study had similar
findings for wild trout and wild eel.
2) Lower
levels of toxins
In a 2005 study reported in the Journal
of Nutrition, researchers collected
salmon samples from across the globe and examined their
fatty acid profile and their level of toxins. They
performed a risk analysis associated with eating fish and
estimate that if we consumed wild
salmon with an equivalent of one
gram of EPA plus DHA each day, our cancer risk would
be eight
times the
acceptable level (based on a range of risk provided by
the Environmental Protection Agency). With farmed salmon,
our risk would be 24
times the
acceptable level for cancer risk. Both provide good
sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. But both have levels of
toxins that do not allow us to eat them every day
according to this research (Foran et al. 2005).
Check out
your local fish sources
As you shop, the smart money’s on wild fish. But it’s
good to do a bit of research first on fish in your local
markets. Some oceans are more polluted than others. Fish
caught in one part of the world may have a lower level of
toxins than fish caught in another part of the world.
To find out what is safe in your area, visit the website
of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It provides a list of
fish available in each region of the country which are
grown or harvested in a sustainable fashion. Ocean’s
Alive provides lists of fish and environmental
pollutants.