The right food for real rheumatoid arthritis relief

Rheumatoid arthritis is serious and usually gets worse over time. It can even lead to severe disability in cases where joints become so swollen and disfigured that you’re unable to use them. But diet can help, and there’s one particular food that protects your joints best from this devastating disease…



Jenny Smiechowski

Rheumatoid arthritis isn’t your run-of-the-mill arthritis…

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition that can strike at any age.

It happens when your immune system goes haywire and attacks your body, more specifically your joints. People with rheumatoid arthritis experience joint stiffness, swelling and pain. But they also experience a range of other symptoms like fever, extreme fatigue, muscle aches and lumps under the skin near the affected joints.

Like most autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis is serious and usually gets worse over time. It can even lead to severe disability in cases where joints become so swollen and disfigured that you’re unable to use them.

But diet can help improve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms immensely. In fact, there’s one particular food that protects your joints best from this devastating disease…

Fishing for rheumatoid arthritis help

Ask anyone who has rheumatoid arthritis whether they’d eat a certain food a few times per week to drastically reduce their RA symptoms, and you’ll get a resounding, “Yes!” That’s why there’s something rheumatoid arthritis sufferers everywhere need to know…

That question is more than just hypothetical. There’s actually a food that can do just that… fish.

In fact, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that RA sufferers who ate more fish had less joint problems. More specifically, two or more servings of fish per week reduced the amount and severity of tender and swollen joints, along with other RA symptoms.

Even more exciting, symptoms improved more with each additional serving of fish per week. So the more fish you eat, the less RA symptoms you have… at least according to this study.

“Fish consumption has been noted to have many beneficial health effects, and our findings may give patients with rheumatoid arthritis a strong reason to increase fish consumption,” said Dr. Sara Tedeschi, lead author of the study.

So if you’re struggling to get your RA under control, this could be the RA relief you’ve been praying for. In fact, researchers say eating fish just twice per week is about one-third as effective as the drugs used to treat the disease.

Finding relief from fish

If you’re ready to see how fish affects your RA symptoms, start turning to seafood for your protein at least two times per week.

But steer clear of fish that contains a lot of mercury like Bluefin tuna, farmed Atlantic salmon, mahi-mahi and halibut. Eating these fish too often might counteract the health benefits. Some of the healthiest fish you can put on your plate include:

• Wild-caught Alaskan salmon
• Wild-caught Pacific sardines
• Farmed rainbow trout
• Arctic char
• Atlantic mackerel

If you’re not a fan of fish, you could also turn to supplements for similar benefits. Krill oil is arguably the healthiest fish oil supplement you can take because it’s high in omega-3s, contains a powerful antioxidant called astaxanthin and is low in pollutants.

But nothing’s quite as good as the real thing, so do your best to add more fresh fish to your diet if you can. For more tips on choosing the healthiest seafood, check out the Environmental Working Group’s Consumer Guide to Seafood.

Editor’s note: If you suffer from chronic pain and conventional medicine has let you down, or you just want to escape the potential dangers of OTC and prescription drugs even for occasional pain, you must read Conquering the Pain: An Alternative Doctor’s Fresh Look at the Newest and Oldest in Alternative Pain Therapies. Click here to get your copy today!

Sources:

1. “Top 3 Types of Arthritis.” — WebMD. Retrieved June 23, 2017.

2. “Eating fish may reduce arthritis symptoms.” — MedicalXpress. Retrieved June 23, 2017.

3. K. Tedeschi, et al. “The relationship between fish consumption and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis.” — Arthritis Care & Research, 2017.

4. “Fish as Medicine for Rheumatoid Arthritis.” — New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2017.

5. “Fish and Shellfish: 5 to Eat, 5 to Avoid.” — Eating Well. Retrieved June 23, 2017.

6. “10 Healthiest Fish On The Planet.” — Rodale’s Organic Life. Retrieved June 23, 2016.

https://easyhealthoptions.com/right-food-real-rheumatoid-arthritis-relief/

Eat More Baked Fish

Story at-a-glance

• People who consumed baked (or broiled) fish at least once a week had more grey matter in their brain in regions responsible for cognition and memory
• One type of omega-3 fat, DHA, has unique structural properties that provide optimal conditions for a wide range of cell membrane functions, and grey matter is a particularly membrane-rich tissue
• Eating fried fish did not lead to this benefit, because fried fish contains trans fats and other oxidized aldehydes, which have been linked to brain damage
• Past research found older women with the highest levels of omega-3 fats had better preservation of their brain as they aged than those with the lowest levels
• Sardines, anchovies, herring, and/or wild-caught salmon are the best dietary sources of omega-3 fats, and you can also increase your levels with a high-quality krill oil supplement

18 August 2014

By Dr. Mercola

Fish is often described as “brain food,” and that is largely because it contains omega-3 fats. Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, an omega-3 fat, is an essential structural component of your brain.

Approximately 60 percent of your brain is composed of fats — 25 percent of which is DHA. DHA is found in high levels in your neurons – the cells of your central nervous system, where it provides structural support.

Low DHA levels have been linked to memory loss and Alzheimer's disease, and since your body cannot produce omega-3 on its own, you must get it from your daily diet. DHA-rich foods include fish, liver, and brain, so it’s easy to know why (in the US, at least) fish is the preferred dietary source.

Eating Baked Fish May Improve Your Memory

A new study has added further support for adding more fish to your diet, although there are some important caveats to consider. The study found people who consumed baked (or broiled) fish at least once a week had more grey matter in their brain.

Specifically, compared to those who didn’t consume fish on a regular basis, regular fish eaters had 14 percent greater grey-matter volume in the area responsible for cognition and more than 4 percent greater volume in the area responsible for memory.1

The DHA molecule has unique structural properties that provide optimal conditions for a wide range of cell membrane functions, and grey matter is a particularly membrane-rich tissue.

Eating fried fish did not lead to this benefit, which isn’t surprising since carefully choosing your cooking methods, and your cooking oils, can make or break your meal from a nutritional standpoint.

Past research has also found that while eating baked and broiled fish improves heart health, eating fried fish increases heart failure risk.2 This is likely due to the trans fats and oxidized aldehydes in fried fish, which are not only linked to heart damage but also to brain damage (including brain shrinkage linked to Alzheimer’s disease).

While both broiled and baked fish were linked to better brain function, I would suggest sticking with baking (particularly at lower temperatures). I don’t generally recommend broiling, since high-temperature cooking (grilling, broiling, barbecuing, and frying) can lead to the formation of cancer-causing substances like heterocyclic amines (HCAs) in your food.

One surprising element to the study was that there was no association found between blood levels of omega-3s and brain benefits, which suggests there may have been other brain-boosting lifestyle factors at play in the frequent fish eaters.

Perhaps their diets were healthier in other respects as well. Still, the research speaks for itself when it comes to the health benefits of omega-3 fats, including for your brain.

Your Brain May Degenerate Without Enough Omega-3 Fats

The introduction of high-quality, easily digested nutrients from seafood into the human diet coincided with the rapid expansion of grey matter in the cerebral cortex -- a defining characteristic of the modern human brain.

Research is showing that degenerative conditions can not only be prevented but also potentially reversed with omega-3 fats. For example, in one study, 485 elderly volunteers suffering from memory deficits saw significant improvement after taking 900 milligrams (mg) of DHA per day for 24 weeks, compared with controls.3

Another study found significant improvement in verbal fluency scores after taking 800 mg of DHA per day for four months compared with placebo.4 Furthermore, memory and rate of learning were significantly improved when DHA was combined with 12 mg of lutein per day.

Interestingly, research suggests that the unsaturated fatty acid composition of normal brain tissue is age-specific, which could imply that the older you get, the greater your need for animal-based omega-3 fat to prevent mental decline and brain degeneration.

Still, omega-3s are also incredibly important for brain health during development, both in utero and during childhood. One study of 8- to 10-year-old boys looked at how DHA supplementation might affect functional cortical activity, and the results were quite impressive.

The data indicated that there were significant increases in the activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex part of the brain in the groups receiving supplemental DHA. This is an area of your brain that is associated with working memory.

They also noticed changes in other parts of the brain, including the occipital cortex (the visual processing center) and the cerebellar cortex (which plays a role in motor control).5 Of course, the overall health benefits of omega-3 fats go far beyond brain health.

Omega-3 deficiency is believed to be a significant underlying factor of up to96,000 premature deaths each year! Yes, this deficiency was recently revealed as the sixth biggest killer of Americans, so taking this recommendation to heart could prove to be lifesaving.

Omega-3 Fats Might Help Your Brain Heal and ‘Preserve’ Your Brain in Old Age

It appears there is virtually no area of brain health left untouched by omega-3s. After a traumatic injury, the brain inflammation that occurs can continue for long periods of time unless, as leading omega-3 expert Dr. Barry Sears stated, "there's a second response that turns it off." Fish oil, it appears, can help do just that, when given in sufficiently high doses.

You can read about one remarkable case of omega-3 fats for healing brain injury here. Another study, published in the journal Neurology, reported that "older women with the highest levels of omega-3 fats… had better preservation of their brain as they aged than those with the lowest levels, which might mean they would maintain better brain function for an extra year or two."6

The researchers assessed the omega-3 fat levels in the red blood cells (RBCs) of more than 1,100 women then, eight years later, their brain volumes were measured using an MRI scan.

The women whose omega-3 levels were the highest—7.5 percent—at the outset of the study had 0.7 percent larger brain volume. Their hippocampus, which plays an important role in memory formation, was also 2.7 percent larger.

The researchers summarized their findings stating that "we did not find an association between RBC DHA + EPA levels and age-associated cognitive decline in a cohort of older, dementia-free women." However, their findings dosuggest that omega-3 can be helpful in slowing down age-related brain atrophy. The study’s lead author also indicated that previous studies have shown eating non-fried oily fish twice a week and taking fish oil supplements can raise your mean red blood cell level of EPA and DHA to 7.5 percent—the same level as the women with the highest omega-3 levels had in his study.

Is Fish a Good Source of Omega-3 Fat?

It can be. Interestingly enough, and fortunately for us, the types of fish that tend to suffer the least amount of toxic contamination also happen to be some of thebest sources of fat and antioxidants. So, by choosing wisely, the benefits of a diet high in fish can still outweigh the risks of contamination. Most major waterways in the world are contaminated with mercury, heavy metals, and chemicals like dioxins, PCBs, and other agricultural chemicals that wind up in the environment. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule, one being wild-caught Alaskan salmon. I eat about three ounces of Wild Alaskan salmon every other day or so.

The risk of authentic wild-caught Alaskan sockeye salmon accumulating high amounts of mercury and other toxins is reduced because of its short life cycle, which is only about three years. Additionally, bioaccumulation of toxins is also reduced by the fact that it doesn’t feed on other, already contaminated, fish. You will want to avoid farm-raised salmon (and other types of farm-raised fish), which are notorious for being heavily contaminated (and disastrous for the environment).

Not only that, but farmed salmon may contain only about half of the omega-3 of wild salmon. Other fish with short life cycles also tend to be better alternatives in terms of fat content, so it’s a win-win situation – lower contamination risk and higher nutritional value. A general guideline is that the closer to the bottom of the food chain the fish is, the less contamination it will have accumulated. This includes:

• Sardines
• Anchovies
• Herring

Sardines, in particular, are one of the most concentrated sources of omega-3 fats, with one serving containing more than 50 percent of your recommended daily value.7 They also contain a wealth of other nutrients, from vitamin B12 and selenium to protein, calcium, and choline, making them one of the best dietary sources of animal-based omega-3s. If you eat fish frequently and want to take precautions, you can also do what I do: whenever I eat fish, I eat it with chlorella tablets. Thechlorella is a potent mercury binder and if taken with fish will help bind the mercury before your body can absorb it, so it can be safely excreted in your stool.

Fish Oil Versus Krill Oil: What’s the Difference?

You’re probably aware that if you don’t eat a lot of fish, you can supplement your diet with omega-3 fats with fish oil. Less widely known is that you can also get your omega-3s from krill oil, and it may, in fact, be preferable to do so. A helpful form ofplant-based omega-3 can also be found in flaxseed, chia, hemp, and a few other foods, but the most beneficial form of omega-3 (animal-based) -- containing two fatty acids, DHA and EPA, which are essential to fighting and preventing both physical and mental disease -- can only be found in fish and krill.

Why might you be better off with krill? The omega-3 in krill is attached to phospholipids that increase its absorption, which means you need less of it, and it won't cause belching or burping like many other fish oil products. Additionally, it contains almost 50 times more astaxanthin, a potent antioxidant, than fish oil. This prevents the highly perishable omega-3 fats from oxidizing before you are able to integrate them into your cellular tissue. In laboratory tests, krill oil remained undamaged after being exposed to a steady flow of oxygen for 190 hours. Compare that to fish oil, which went rancid after just one hour. That makes krill oil nearly 200 times more resistant to oxidative damage compared to fish oil!

When purchasing krill oil, you'll want to read the label and check the amount of astaxanthin it contains. The more the better, but anything above 0.2 mg per gram of krill oil will protect it from rancidity. To learn more about the benefits of krill oil versus fish oil, please see my interview with Dr. Rudi Moerck, a drug industry insider and an expert on omega-3 fats. If you don’t eat fish regularly, a krill oil supplement is one of the few supplements I recommend to virtually everybody. If you prefer to get your omega-3s from your diet, then be sure you’re eating sardines, anchovies, herring, and/or wild-caught salmon on a regular basis.

[+] Sources and References

Go to Healthwise for more articles

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/08/18/baked-fish-memory-improvement.aspx?

These “Heart Pills” Can Increase Heart Disease Risk by 80%

April 20, 2014  

They’re a fast and dirty “solution” to your inflammation problems. And you can find them just about anywhere—even gas stations. But there’s a problem. Besides the dangers we already know about.

New research shows they can raise atrial fibrillation (AF) risk by 80% in seniors.1 And talk about scary…

AF is the most common form of irregular heartbeat. It causes fast, chaotic electrical signals to shoot through the upper-chambers of your heart. AF leads to blood pooling in your atria. This means it isn’t reaching the lower chambers. The result is a heart divided: The upper part doesn’t know what the lower part is doing.

If you’re lucky, you may experience some chest pain. But it can also cause heart failure and stroke. To make matters worse, you may not ever notice the symptoms. You could even be stuck with AF for life if your heartbeat doesn’t respond to intervention.2

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time we’ve told you how dangerous these drugs are to your heart. If you have a history of heart problems, these may raise your risk of death by 55%. But now Dutch researchers have discovered that even if you haven’t had a heart event in the past, you’re still at risk.

Not only that, but you don’t need to even be currently taking one of these drugs to be in danger. Within 30 days of use, your chances of developing AF could be 84% higher than someone who never takes one. Researchers found that it doesn’t matter what your blood pressure or cholesterol charts say. It doesn’t even matter if you smoke or not.

You might be relying on them every day…like 30 million other Americans. Or maybe you only use them once in a while. Whatever the case, one thing is certain: These pills can put your heart—and your life—in serious danger.

Of course, we’re talking about NSAIDs. And if you’re a Health Watch reader, it shouldn’t surprise you.

Most people with arthritis become slaves to these anti-inflammatory drugs. Yet few people realize the damage NSAIDs are doing to their body in the process. They just want the pain relief. And who can blame them?

But NSAIDs come with deadly side effects…and they’re not even one of the best ways to prevent arthritis pain.

Don’t rely on NSAIDs to protect your heart…or for pain relief. They can do way more harm than good. The right foods can help cut heart disease risk by up to 60%. Some can start defending your heart in just 30 days. You can also turn to natural anti-inflammatories like ginger and krill oil in place of toxic NSAIDs.

References:

1http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/4/4/e004059.full
2https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/af/

http://institutefornaturalhealing.com/2014/04/these-heart-pills-can-increase-heart-disease-risk-by-80/

5 Ways to Prevent Arthritis Pain

November 22, 2013

If you already have arthritis you know it all too well…

Not being able to bend over and pick up the keys you dropped or give your grandson a hug… Calling someone to the kitchen to open the jar of pasta sauce for you… Putting off that trip because you don’t think you’ll be able to walk very far…

But worst of all? The excruciating pain.

And if that’s not bad enough, prescription drugs offer little help—with terrifying side effects. How do you feel about potential seizures…bleeding from your rectum…lung infections…extreme fatigue…impotence…heart failure? Not good? Neither do we.

That’s why today we’re bringing you five all-natural, all-safe alternatives to ease your suffering.

1. Cruciferous Vegetables: A compound in these veggies can help prevent osteoarthritis. It’s called sulforaphane. And it actually preserves joint cartilage.1

In one study, a higher intake of these vegetables resulted in an over 35 percent lower risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.2

Some of your best choices are broccoli, cauliflower, and kale.

2. Vitamin D3: You probably already know that Vitamin D3 is essential to maintaining strong bones. But it’s just as effective at protecting you from arthritis. An increase in rheumatoid arthritis pain is linked to lower levels of D3 in the blood.3

The same study that stresses the importance of cruciferous vegetables in preventing arthritis also finds that women with a greater intake of this vitamin lower risk by about 30 percent.4 If you’re looking to add more D3 to your diet, eat more mushrooms, eggs, and cold water fish,

3. Devil’s claw: It might sound scary. But the side effects are downright soothing. This herb fights pain and inflammation. And it is particularly effective at preventing arthritis pain.

One study found that devil’s claw was just as effective as a popular prescription drug. But with one key difference… The people taking devil’s claw did not experience as many side effects or require as many pain relievers.5

Around 700 mg is enough to help prevent pain. You can get devil’s claw as a supplement or use the root to brew tea.

4. Krill oil: Getting enough omega-3s in your diet can reduce your chances of developing arthritis over time. And krill oil is your best bet. Here’s why…

Three hundred mg of krill oil can reduce inflammation by nearly 20 percent in only a week.6 But this oil not only reduces inflammation, it also lowers overall arthritis pain by about 24 percent.

You can find krill oil in just about any drug store. Be we always recommend you buy it from a health food store. And be sure to get it from a quality source that also contains this next natural solution.

5. Astaxanthin: This is 65 times stronger than vitamin C when it comes to getting rid of the free radicals in your body that can cause inflammation.

Research shows that 4 mg of astaxanthin daily can reduce inflammation by 26 percent in eight weeks.7 This compound is what makes krill oil so effective at preventing and treating arthritis.

Bottom line? If you want to avoid arthritis of any kind, these five solutions can help. And if you already have it…they can ease you pain.

References:

1 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/art.38133/abstract
2 http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/157/4/345.full
3 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24134402
4 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14730601?dopt=Abstract
5 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11185727
6 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17353582
7 http://www.cyanotech.com/pdfs/bioastin/batl43.pdf

Related Articles:

• 5 Natural Ways to Avoid the Flu
• This Indian Herb Improves Osteoarthritis in One Month
• 5 Overlooked Ingredients for Preventing Heart Disease
• This Supplement Helps Prevent and Ease Diabetic Neuropathy
• Your Body Needs This Vitamin to Fight Colorectal Cancer

http://institutefornaturalhealing.com/2013/11/5-ways-to-prevent-arthritis-pain/

Why "Organic" Farmed Salmon is Causing a Nasty Smell

December 15, 2007

Something is fishy about the farmed salmon being labeled as “organic” in your supermarket. When most people see the organic label, they think of a superior product to conventionally raised varieties, from a health, environmental and animal welfare perspective.

In reality, there is not much difference between conventional farm-raised salmon and its organic counterpart. For instance:

• Both are raised in cages. Whereas conventional salmon cages contain up to 70,000 fish, organic cages contain up to 30,000.

• Organic fish farmers use coloring on juvenile fish (in the form of phaffia, a processed yeast that contains high levels of astaxanthin -- the same coloring used by conventional farmers).

• Organic farmers feed both natural and synthetic vitamins and minerals, along with “binders” such as wheat flour.

• Organic farmers use as many of the same chemicals as conventional farmers as they want. These include pesticide-based anti-sea lice treatments, which have been shown to adversely impact sea creatures and the marine ecosystem, veterinary medicines, and chlorine-based Chloramine-T and formalin, which are used to prevent fungal growth.

• Organic salmon are slaughtered at 2.5 years old, whereas conventional salmon are slaughtered at 2 years old. Wild salmon, however, can live for up to 16 years.

People who are looking for healthy salmon are therefore only getting at best a slightly better product by choosing organic farmed salmon over regular farmed salmon. The best sources remain wild salmon from Alaska that is certified by the Maine Stewardship Council, along with the more expensive Scottish and Irish wild salmon when available.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Farmed fish of any kind, whether organic or not, are a disaster for not only your health but also the environment.

Farmed salmon typically have at least 10 times more cancer-causing persistent organic pollutants than their wild counterparts. And both the conventional and organic varieties are pumped full of antibiotics and chemicals to fend off parasites like sea lice, along with drugs and hormones to accelerate their growth and change reproductive behaviors.

All of these chemicals are necessary because farmed salmon in no way live a life similar to wild salmon. Often referred to as feedlots of the sea, farmed fish are raised in net-covered pens that are tethered offshore in the ocean. The fish are overcrowded, and fish waste and uneaten feed covers the sea floor beneath the pen (which is a disaster for other marine life).

The penned fish face many of the problems that occur in factory-farmed cattle, including rampant disease, parasites, and an over-use of pesticides and other chemicals. 

Also as a result, the muscles of farmed fish do not develop in the same way as wild fish, their coloring is different because they’re not eating their natural diet (so they’re supplemented with artificial color), and they are prone to diseases and parasites because they are crammed into small pens with no room to swim around.

Wild baby salmon are also being infected with sea lice at rates almost 75 times higher than normal while passing through commercial salmon farms on their way to the ocean. Many wild populations of salmon have in fact been devastated by nearby commercial fish farms.

The health risks of farmed salmon have been known for years now, and this latest move to call some of them organic is complete deception.
You can now add organic farmed salmon to the list of organic foods that are a complete waste of your money (along with organic pasteurized milk and organic junk foods).

Why I Don’t Recommend Eating Most Wild Fish Either

The commonsense alternative to farmed fish would be to eat wild fish, but this once healthy food source is no longer safe.

Harmful toxins known as PCBs along with the neurotoxin mercury, are commonly found in wild salmon, as the water they’re swimming in is, sadly, polluted.

If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, it is especially important that you avoid eating fish, as the toxins can be detrimental to the development of your unborn baby.

True wild salmon that is free from toxins is now a rarity. I have found one such variety of Alaskan wild red salmon that I confirmed via lab-testing to be safe. This is the only brand of salmon that I will eat, and I would encourage you to eat only wild fish that you can confirm has been lab-tested, and found to be safe.

The only other types of fish that I recommend eating are the smaller fish like sardines. Since small fish have shorter lives and are lower on the food chain, they have less time to concentrate toxins like mercury in their bodies. In fact, the smallest fish, like sardines, are often found to be mercury- and PCB- free.

Please understand that you can get the health benefits of eating fish without actually eating them if you take a high-quality krill oil. This marine oil is packed with omega-3 fats, the same ones found in salmon, but you don’t have to worry about toxins.

Krill are at the bottom of the food chain and have virtually no time to grow and acquire toxic heavy metals. Plus, they grow in some of the cleanest waters in the world, in the Antarctic.

Though I know many of you once enjoyed fish for the flavor and the health benefits, if you can’t confirm that it’s from a clean source, I believe the risks from eating it vastly outweigh the benefits.

[-] Sources and References

• Observer Food Monthly November 22, 2007

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/12/15/why-quot-organic-quot-farmed-salmon-is-causing-a-nasty-smell.aspx

What You Need to Know About Farmed Fish

December 02, 2008 


Declining ocean fish stocks have led to a rapid growth in fish farming. But if you think farmed fish are the answer, you might want to take a second look at its effects.

Carnivorous farmed fish are fed on high levels of fish meal and fish oil. In fact, they require a fish biomass input greater than the fish biomass produced. For the 10 species of fish most commonly farmed, an average of nearly two kilograms of wild fish is required for every one kilogram of fish raised.

Unfortunately, there is an increase in the production trend of carnivorous fish (such as salmon or shrimp) rather than herbivorous or filter feeder fish. Small pelagic fish, such as herring, sardines and anchovies, mainly provide the fish meal and fish oils used for aquaculture feed, increasing pressures on wild fish.

Numbers of popular species such as cod have plummeted; in the Mediterranean, 12 species of shark are commercially extinct. Swordfish in that area, which should grow as thick as a telephone pole, now must be caught as juveniles and eaten when no bigger than a baseball bat. The fish in the seas surrounding Africa and Asia are also in steep decline.

The fact that global fish supplies are dwindling dramatically is deeply concerning on a number of levels. 

In 2003, it was found that the number of large fish, including tuna, marlin, swordfish, sharks, cod and halibut, in the world’s oceans had dropped by 90 percent in just 50 years. This means that only 10 percent of all large fish are left in the ocean.

One of the saddest commentaries I’ve heard on this issue is from Sergi Tudela, a Spanish marine biologist with the World Wildlife Fund, who speaks of the disappearance of giant bluefin tuna (which are prized for making sushi). He says:

"My big fear is that it may be too late. I have a very graphic image in my mind. It is of the migration of so many buffalo in the American West in the early 19th century. It was the same with bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean, a migration of a massive number of animals. 

And now we are witnessing the same phenomenon happening to giant bluefin tuna that we saw happen with America's buffalo. We are witnessing this, right now, right before our eyes."

Why are Fish Disappearing?

Part of the problem has to do with irresponsible fishing practices, such as trawling, which essentially scoops up everything within range from the ocean floor -- only about 5% of the contents are used, while the other 95% is dumped, dead, back into the ocean. Another problem is that fisheries are simply taking too many fish.

Studies show it takes industrial fisheries only 10 to 15 years to diminish any new fish community they encounter to one-tenth of its original size.

Much of the fish caught nowadays (about one-third) are actually not used for human food at all, but are ground up to be used as agricultural or aquacultural feed.

The solution that seems obvious would be to supplement wild fishing with “sustainable” farmed fish.

But that is a massive misconception.

Farm-raised fish are fed great quantities of fish meal, which comes from wild-caught fish. As the Organic Consumers Association pointed out, for the 10 species of fish most commonly farmed, it takes 1.9 kg of wild fish to produce 1 kg of farm-raised fish.

So instead of taking pressure off of the wild fish supplies, farmed fish are actually adding to it. And there are other problems with fish farms as well, problems that are contributing to the degradation of marine ecosystems. An article in the Los Angeles Times several years ago said it well:

“Fish wastes and uneaten feed smother the sea floor beneath these farms, generating bacteria that consume oxygen vital to shellfish and other bottom-dwelling sea creatures. Disease and parasites, which would normally exist in relatively low levels in fish scattered around the oceans, can run rampant in densely packed fish farms.

Pesticides fed to the fish and toxic copper sulfate used to keep nets free of algae are building up in sea-floor sediments. Antibiotics have created resistant strains of disease that infect both wild and domesticated fish.

Clouds of sea lice, incubated by captive fish on farms, swarm wild salmon as they swim past on their migration to the ocean.”

• Disease and parasites? 
• Dangerous amounts of waste? 
• Resistant strains of disease? 

This sounds a lot like filthy, land-based factory farms to me. And, in fact, experts have begun to call fish farms nothing more than factory farms at sea.

What Else is Lurking in Farm-Raised Fish?

If the environmental concerns alone aren’t enough to make you want to steer clear of farm-raised fish, perhaps the health concerns will be.

Studies have consistently found levels of PCBs, dioxins, toxaphene and dieldrin, as well as mercury, to be higher in farm-raised fish than wild fish. Further, farm-raised fish, like factory-farmed meat, is pumped full of antibiotics, hormones and even chemicals to change their color (such as to make salmon appear pink).

Sadly, contamination of our oceans and waterways is so great that toxic pollutants have been found in wild fish as well, and this is why I don’t advise eating any fish, whether farm-raised or wild-caught, unless you can verify its purity.

What options do you have, then, to get the health benefits of the omega-3 fats in fish, without exposing yourself to pollutants or contributing to the decline of the fish population?

There are two ways. The first is to track down a source of wild fish that is free from toxins, and which is sustainably harvested. After years of research I found one such company, Vital Choice, which offers safe salmon that has less than .1ppm of mercury and no harmful levels of other toxins. Vital Choice works closely with a native Alaskan tribe to ensure the salmon are sustainably harvested during their migration.

The second option is to get your omega-3 fat from an alternative source like krill oil. Not only are krill (small, shrimp-like creatures) a superior source of omega-3, but they are one of the most easily renewable food resources available, making them an excellent nutritional source from an environmental perspective.

Though I know many of you enjoy fish for the flavor and the health benefits, if you can’t confirm that it’s from a clean, sustainable source, I believe the risks from eating it -- both to your health and the environment -- vastly outweigh the benefits.

[+] Sources and References

• Organic Consumers Association November 17, 2008

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/12/02/what-you-need-to-know-about-farmed-fish.aspx

Also read on this Healthwise blog:

• The Truth about Salmon

• What You Need to Know About Farmed Fish
• Norway Issues Health Dangers of Farmed Salmon
• Hidden Scary Sushi Ingredients Exposed