For a long time now, research has been done on fat and its effects on the heart. We know that too much fat will clog and stiffen our arteries, bringing forth drastic effects that choke off blood to the brain and harm the heart. Whether your arteries are wrecked and your body suffers considerable other problems may depend on the chemical make up of the fat and its consequent disposition by the body. But animal fats are very different from the ones in fish.
Scientists were perplexed by the fact that Eskimos had virtually no heart disease and yet ate a high fat diet of blubber and seal meat; their blood cholesterol levels, especially among Alaskan Eskimos, were fairly high, only slightly lower than that of Americans, Danes, and others who were dropping dead from heart attacks. Research showed that Eskimo blood is not as sticky and does not clot as readily.
The same phenomenon shows up among families in Japanese fishing villages who are also remarkably free of heart disease. They found that the strange phenomenon was rooted in the fact that the Eskimos loaded themselves with a unique oil found in seafood. They typically devour 13 ounces of seafood every day, all of it heavily packed with molecular chains of fatty acids called omega-3’s. In contrast, the fat or oil in land plants and meat from animals raised on such plants are dominated by omega- 6 fatty acids that are broken down differently in the body.
An excess of omega-6 provokes the cells to frantic activity, causing the production of excesses of hyperactive prostaglandins and similar hormones that wreak havoc on the body.
Fish oils may protect against thrombosis – clots that block off blood. Cancer, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, allergies, immune inflammatory disorders, headaches, high blood pressure and multiple sclerosis are all disorders related to over enthusiastic production of prostaglandins. Fish oils, by curbing prostaglandin formation, may control the underlying metabolic mechanisms that set off these diseases too.
Nutrition experts at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas say older adults who eat just one serving of fatty fish a week can lower their risk of a fatal heart attack by up to 44 percent, compared to people who don’t eat fish at all.
But if you prefer your fish fried, you’re not getting the benefit. The high heat from frying changes the structure of the beneficial fatty acids so they no longer have the same effect on the body besides the negative effect of all that oil, used for frying, on your body. Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel and herring are most beneficial because they have the highest levels of the omega-3 fatty acids that prevent heart disease. These fatty acids are important for growth and development, but they’re not manufactured within the human body. Leaner fish like cod and flounder don’t have as much omega-3 and are less beneficial. Nutrition experts suggest you bake or grill fish to preserve the health benefits and recommend eating at least two servings of fish reek to help prevent heart disease.