Fishy Business

By WLR Staff, Laura Meads

We all hear about the health benefits of eating oily fish and yet we are told that there could be health risks. So how much are we meant to eat?

Oily fish provide us with a rich source of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids which can help reduce the risks of heart disease. It turns out that on average people in the UK only eat a third of the recommended intake of oily fish, and that seven out of ten of us don’t eat any at all.

There is strong evidence that supports the fact that omega 3 fatty acids can help with the development of the nervous system in babies before and after they are born. There is also a small amount of evidence that suggests if women who are trying to get pregnant and women who are pregnant eat oily fish it will help their babies’ development.

Omega 3 fish oil in the diet will protect the heart and circulation can reduce the risk of certain cancers. Medical studies have also shown that omega 3 oils play an important role in the development of our brains.

Seafood in general contains an abundance of essential minerals which include, iron, zinc, iodine and selenium. Fish is also a good source of vitamins, which maintain healthy nerve tissues, strong bones and teeth and a glowing complexion. As well as your brain, your love life could benefit as well because seafood, in particular oysters, has a reputation for being an aphrodisiac!

What counts as "oily fish"?

Oily fish	Non oily fish
Trout	Cod
Salmon	Haddock
Mackerel	Plaice
Herring	Cole
Sardines	Whiting
Pilchards	Lemon sole
Kipper	Skate
Eel	Halibut
Whitebait	Rock salmon/dogfish
Tuna (fresh only not canned)	Ayr
Anchovies	Catfish
Swordfish	Dover sole
Bloater	Flounder
Cacha	Flying fish
Carp	Hake
Hilsa	Hoki
Jack fish	John dory
Katla	Kalabasu
Orange roughy	Ling
Pangas	Monkfish
Sprats	Parrot fish
	Pollack
	Pomfret
	Red and grey mullet
	Red fish
	Red snapper
	Sea bass
	Tinned tuna

All the fish listed in the oily fish column count as part of the recommended weekly allowance when they are fresh, canned or frozen. Tuna only counts as an oily fish when it is fresh. This is because when it is canned the omega 3 oil levels are reduced to similar levels to that of white fish, so although canned tuna is a healthy option it doesn’t have the same health benefits as fresh oily fish.

The amount of oily fish that is recommended per week changes depending on your age and lifestyle, The standard recommendation is that everyone should eat at least two portions (a portion is 140g) of fish a week and one of them should be oily.

The following table shows recommendations from the Food Standards Agency for specific groups.

	Oily fish	White fish	Tinned tuna	Marlin, shark, swordfish
Girls (under the age of 16)	Up to 2 portions a week (280g)	No limit	No limit on tinned	Do not eat
Boys (under the age of 16)	Up to 4 portions a week (560g)	No limit	No limit on tinned	Do not eat
Women who are pregnant or women in general who may become pregnant in the future	Up to 2 portions a week (280g)	No limit	Up to 4 medium sized cans	Do not eat
Breastfeeding women	Up to 2 portions a week (280g)	No limit	No limit on tinned	Up to 1 portion a week
Women who are not intending or who can not become pregnant	Up to 4 portions a week (560g)	No limit	No limit on tinned	Up to 1 portion a week
Men	Up to 4 portions a week (560g)	No limit	No limit on tinned	Up to 1 portion a week

There have been reports in the news over the last year or so that there could be health risks associated with eating too much oily fish in particular salmon. This is because oily fish contain dioxins, a type of pollutant found in fish. Dioxins are by-products from certain industrial processes and household fires. They are found throughout the environment and in all fishes. There is another type of pollutant found in fish, known as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl). These were used mainly in the manufacture of electrical equipment but they haven’t been used since the 1970’s.

Levels of both dioxins and PCB’s are falling throughout the environment, and in the food we eat. They both

have no immediate effect on health; the risk comes from eating high levels of them both over a long period of time.

So I bet now you are all wondering how many calories there are in these fish. Here are a few examples, all the others you can find on the WLR database.

Type of fish	Raw (kcal)	Grilled (kcal)	Smoked (kcal)	Steamed (kcal)	Baked (kcal)
Salmon	180.0	215.0	142.0	197.0
Trout	65.0	135.0
Swordfish	109.0	139.0
Kipper	126.0	255.0			205.0