By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness

October 01, 2014

• Everybody should be eating fish
• But not this kind!
• Four ways to get the most out of your fresh catch

Eating plenty of omega-3-rich fish is good for you. It can lower your blood pressure, keep your arteries healthy, lower your risk of heart attack, and cut your chances of dementia. That’s why I always recommend adding clean, natural, wild-caught fish to your meals.

But, when you’re standing in front of the fish counter, it’s easy to get confused. Suddenly you’re confronted with labeling that says it’s “farm-raised.”

Now, that may sound like a good thing – that it’s perhaps even healthier than wild-caught fish that’s been swimming around in the polluted waters of our oceans and lakes.

But, this is a common mistake.

You see, while all fish is exposed to some pollutants, farm-raised fish are much more likely to contain certain chemicals that are especially harmful to your health.

Here’s what you should know about fish – and how to make the healthiest choices for you and your family.

Eating fish that’s farm-raised is much like eating commercial meat. These fish are packed together in tanks, pens and enclosures. So, parasites, viruses and disease are all big concerns.

And, you know what this means, right? The fish farmers have to keep them healthy with the liberal use of antibiotics, fungicides and pesticides.

Many popular types of fish are farm-raised. Salmon, tilapia, catfish and cod are just a few. But farm-raised salmon might just be the unhealthiest of all. More than half of them die before they even get to harvest. And those that do survive contain enormous amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs – up to 16 times more than wild-caught.

The problem with PCBs is that they build up in the fatty tissue of the fish. That’s where all the healthy omega-3 oils are.

So, when you eat a piece of farm-raised salmon, you’re getting a substantial dose of these chemicals right along with your omega-3s, and they start building up in the fatty tissue of your body. That’s where they can do some serious damage.

High levels of PCBs are linked to liver cancer, thyroid problems, a weakened immune response and hormone imbalances. There is also evidence they increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.

Now, I don’t want to scare you away from eating fish. There are too many great health benefits that you can get from it. But, I do want you to eat clean fish and help lower the toxic load in your body.

Here’s what I suggest…

I think it’s clear that farm-raised fish, especially farm-raised salmon, shouldn’t be a part of your healthy diet.

Always buy wild-caught!

Now, fish in the wild will also have some amounts of PCBs and mercury. But, it doesn’t mean you should give up fish altogether. There are ways to avoid your exposure:

• Choose your wild-caught fish carefully. Larger fish and those at the top of the food chain (like shark and swordfish) are more likely to have higher accumulations of PCBs and mercury. Select smaller fish, like wild-caught Pacific halibut, mackerel, Alaskan salmon, sardines, herring, rainbow trout and flounder.
• Most of the pollutants found in fish are concentrated in the skin and organs. So, remove the skin and organs before cooking.
• Both green tea and green vegetables have been shown to flush PCBs from the body in animal studies. If you’re concerned you already might have a build-up, try drinking three cups of green tea a day. Adding a green drink, especially one with a high chlorophyll content, can also help remove these fat-soluble toxins.
• Increase your fiber intake. This will help increase clearance of PCBs from your body. But I’m not talking about eating more bran cereal or downing a glass of Metamucil. You can get plenty of fiber from chlorophyll-rich green vegetables. Beans, apples and other fruits are also great sources of fiber.

If you’re not a fish-lover, you still need to get plenty of omega-3s in your diet. And a good fish oil supplement can provide them.

But don’t buy just any fish oil supplement. They aren’t all created equal. Look for one that contains oil from fresh, wild-caught, deep sea fish. And make sure it’s been molecularly distilled and tested for purity. It should include at least 600 mg. of EPA and 400 mg. of DHA.

By the way, getting plenty of omega-3s can also preserve – and even extend the length of – your telomeres. These are the protective caps at the ends of your chromosomes that control how quickly you age. To get the added benefit of telomere preservation, I suggest upping the dose to 1,200 mg. of EPA and 800 mg. of DHA.

Sources:
“PCBs in farmed salmon.” Environmental Working Group. Jul 2003.

Crinnion WJ. “The role of persistent organic pollutants in the worldwide epidemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus and the possible connection to Farmed Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar).” Altern Med Rev. 2011 Dec;16(4):301-13.

Crinnion WJ. “Polychlorinated biphenyls: persistent pollutants with immunological, neurological, and endocrinological consequences.” Altern Med Rev. 2011 Mar;16(1):5-13.