cancer. By reducing the body’s readiness to
form blood clots, it also lowers the incidence
of stroke. And it lowers the artery-damaging
form of blood cholesterol.
In sum, it looks as though a moderate and
regular consumption of fatty ocean fish is
good for us in several ways. Fish obtain their
omega-3 fatty acids directly or indirectly
from tiny oceanic plants called phytoplankton.
Farmed fish generally have lower levels of the
omega-3s in their formulated feed, and so less
in their meat. Freshwater fish don’t have
access to the oceanic plankton, and so provide
negligible amounts of omega-3s. However, all
fish contain low amounts of cholesterol-
raising saturated fats, so to the extent that
they replace meat in the diet, they lower
artery-damaging blood cholesterol and reduce
the risk of heart disease.
Health Hazards