Delicious UK - (07)July 2020

THEBIGGESTBENEFITS

YOUMAYLIVELONGER

Researchshowsthatpeoplewho

eatgoodamountsoffishlive

longer,andomega-3is thoughtto

playa bigpartinthis.Onestudy

foundthataftertheageof65,those

withthehighestbloodlevelsof

omega-3slived,onaverage,2.2

yearslongerthanthosewiththe

lowestlevels,andloweredtheir

risk of premature death by 27%.

YOURHEARTLOVESIT

Goodintakesofoilyfishseemto

helpreducetheincidenceofheart

disease(whichmayhelptoexplain

theincreaseinlongevity).EPAand

DHAbothkeeptheheartworking

normallyandhelptomaintain

healthylevelsoftriglycerides– blood

fatsthat,whenraised,increase

theriskofheartdisease.Added

tothis,oilyfishis generallylowin

saturatedfatandcontainsvitamins

B6andB12,whichhelptocontrol

homocysteine(atypeofprotein).

Highbloodlevelsofthisincrease

the risk of heart disease.

ITLOWERSBLOODPRESSURE

Omega-3fatshelpmaintainnormal

bloodpressurebyrelaxingblood

vessels– anotherbenefitforheart

health.Plusoilyfisharerichin

potassium,a nutrientthathelps to

lower blood pressure when

combinedwithlowersaltintake.

Oneinfourpeoplesufferfromhigh

bloodpressure,a riskfactorfor

heartattacks,strokes,kidney

disease, heart failure and dementia.

ITFEEDSYOURBRAIN

There’ssometruthbehindtheidea

that fish is ‘brain food’. DHA is vital

inhelpingthebraintofunction

normally.Studiesshowhigherfish

intakesmayhelptoprotectagainst

depressionanddementia.

Omega-3fatsareoftenpinpointed

asthekeynutrientresponsiblefor

potentiallyslowingcognitive

decline,andvitaminDforboosting

mood,butoilyfishis alsorichin

otherbrain-friendlynutrientssuchas

vitamins B3, B6 and B12, and iodine.

ITHELPSLOOKAFTERYOUREYES

Beyondtheheartandbrainbenefits,

DHAis keyforeyedevelopment

anda properlyfunctioningretina,

soit’svitalfornormalvision.

A deficiency of omega-3 fats has

BEA GOODBUYER

lChoosesustainablysourcedfish.Lookforthe

blueMarineStewardshipCouncil(msc.org)

label,orgetthefreeGoodFishGuideAppfrom

theMarineConservationSociety(mcsuk.org).

lExperimentwithdifferentvarietiestohelp

reduceoverfishingforthesamefewspecies.

lFreshfishshouldhavefirmfleshanda fresh

smell.It shouldn’tsmellfishy.Lookforwhole

fishwithcleareyesandbrightredgills.

lTinnedoilyfishisflavoursome,convenient

andinexpensive.Thestuffinbrineora sauce

hasmoresaltthanfishcannedinspringwater

oroil(thoseinoilarehigherinfat,too).

lSmokedfishishighinsalt(it’susedto

preserve it before smoking), so check labels.

Eatingmoreoily

fishwillhelptotop

upyourvitaminDlevel

• usefulifyou’renot
  gettingmuchsunlight
  this summer

M

ackerel,sardinesandsalmonoftentopthelistofgood-for-you

foods,butwhatisit thatmakesoilyfishsogoodforus?Health

expertsrecommendtwoportionsoffisha weekandspecifically

advisethatoneoftheseshouldbeanoilyvariety.Unfortunately,fewofus

areeatingthatmuch.FiguresfromthemostrecentNationalDietand

NutritionSurveyshowthatadultsaged 19 to 64 manage,onaverage,just

overa thirdofa portionofoilyfisheachweek.Olderadultseatmorebut

stillfailtogetclosetotherecommendedamounts.Andteenagersare

even more oily fish-averse. They eat just one portion every 10 weeks.

WHYTHEFOCUSONOILYFISH?

Theanswerispartlybecauseit’spackedwithomega-3fats,especially

eicosapentaenoicacid(EPA)anddocosahexaenoicacid(DHA).These

long-chainomega-3shavebeenlinkedtonumeroushealthbenefits(see

below).Butthere’smoretooilyfishthanjustomega-3fat– it’salsohighin

protein,potassium,phosphorus,selenium,iodineandvitaminsB3,B6and

B12. Plus, it’s one of the few naturally rich food sources of vitamin D.

beenlinkedtodry-eyesyndrome

and,whilesupplementsofomega-3

havebeenshowntoimprove

symptoms,eatingmoreoilyfishis

a tastier way to boost your intake.

ITMAYHELPYOURHEARING

Onelargestudyofwomenfound

thatthosewiththehighestintakes

ofomega-3fatsfromfishwere

15%lesslikelytosufferhearingloss

comparedwiththosewiththe

lowestintakes.Anotherstudy

foundhigherintakesoflong-chain

omega-3fatsfromfishreducedthe

risk of age-related hearing loss.

IT’SBONEFRIENDLY

Oilyfishis alsooneofthefew

richdietarysourcesofvitaminD

(whichis otherwisecreatedinour

bodieswhenourskinis exposed

tosunlight).VitaminDhelpsthe

bodytoabsorbcalcium,soit’svital

forhealthybonesandprotecting

against osteoporosis in later life.

ITCANBOOSTIMMUNITY

Theomega-3fatsandvitaminD

inoilyfisharebeneficialtothe

immunesystem,souppingyour

intakemayhelpprotectagainst

infections– recentstudiessuggest

vitaminDmayhelpreduce

complicationslinkedtoCovid-19,

thoughmoreresearchis needed.

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@juliettekellownutritionist

PHOTOGRAPH: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

health matters.