It's tasty, good for your brain and body and it can even help keep the winter blues at bay. What's not to like about the 'superfood' that is oily fish? Benhealth’s Angela Spencer reports.
Who would have thought when your parents told you to "eat up all your fish because it will make you brainy" that there was actually a grain of truth in what they were saying?
The wisdom of the well-worn phrase, originally iterated in an attempt to get you to clean your plate, has since been borne out by numerous well documented pieces of scientific research.
While it may not strictly speaking make you more intelligent, evidence shows that eating fish – particularly oily fish - during pregnancy and breastfeeding does contribute to optimal brain development in babies. Studies with older people in the US also suggest that eating fish twice a week reduces the rate of cognitive decline by about 10 per cent.
The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) says: "Oily fish is an invaluable source of nutrition for the brain and, as one in 20 people suffers from severe cognitive impairment or dementia, it is important to consume food that contains nutrients that keep the brain alert and active."
The 'magic' ingredient is omega-3 essential fatty acids, found in abundance in oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, herring and fresh tuna. But the benefits of oily fish go beyond even brain power, making this tasty food good news for the rest of our bodies.
"As well as promoting good brain function and health, long chain omega-3 fatty acids lower the risk of heart disease," says BNF nutrition scientist Dr Elisabeth Weichselbaum. "They are used by the body for a whole range of functions, chiefly in cell repair, which maintains healthy reproductive, nervous and cardiovascular systems.
"Oily fish is also high in vitamin D which is important for bones – and rich food sources of vitamin D are important in winter where the sun is not strong enough to produce vitamin D in our skin."
Presence of the natural amino acid tryptophan, which encourages the production of serotonin in our systems, can also help with the winter blues.
Tracy Wright of the sustainable fish website www.fish4ever.co.uk says: "Eating fish that contain lots of tryptophan can be a good way to deal with feeling down or depressed. Sardines and mackerel have particularly high levels of tryptophan and are easily included in a diet by using tinned varieties - for example sardines on toast or mackerel in marinades eaten with boiled potatoes. At times of worry and stress perhaps we should be thinking about how our diets can help keep us on an even keel."
Oily fish is an excellent source of protein, essential for maintaining good health, growth and repair. Protein levels are not as high as in red meat, but the fact that fish has fewer harmful fats and calories makes it an attractive alternative.
Despite all the benefits, there are limits to the amount of oily fish we should eat, because it does contain low level pollutants that can build up over time.
Dr Weichselbaum says: "Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding shouldn't eat more than two portions of oily fish a week, and couples aiming to have a baby in the near future should limit their intake because pollutants can have a negative impact on sperm and egg quality.
"For a healthy, balanced diet, the government recommends that people eat two portions (a portion is 140g) of fish every week, one of which should be oily fish. Currently only a third of the recommended amount is consumed in the UK."
Further Information
www.nutrition.org.uk
This article first appeared in issue 10 of benhealth, the magazine for Benenden Healthcare members.
