Prepared By:

Ahmed Abdul Rehman Al Janahi
Director of Fisheries

Introduction

United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a maritime country where fishing was the main source of livelihood for a vast majority of citizens dwelling along the coastal belt before the discovery of oil reserves in the region. People were traditionally fish eaters and fish was the main source of protein in the past. However, the economy boost of the post oil era and the modernization trends on global arena influenced the people to change their life style during the recent times.

Inflation, hectic day – to - day work schedule and obsession of younger generation for fast foods might be some of the reasons urging people to deviate from the traditional food habits. This is the time when more and more people are getting health conscious and aware of the role of food for a healthy living. Lot of research has been done on various sources of protein available in food commodities.

According to most studies, the fish is a good source of protein and does not have the high saturated fat that fatty meat products do. The present article is a compilation of some of the results from such studies done by various authors to create awareness among the common man about the safest protein available from our marine environment.

Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Fatty fish like mackerel, sardines, albacore tuna, lake trout, herring, salmon etc. are high in two kinds of Omega-3 fatty acids : eicosapentaeenoic acid (EPA) and decosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

A Purdue University study has showed that kids low in Omega-3 essential fatty aids are more likely to be hyperactive, have learning difficulties and to display behavioural problems. Omega-3 deficiencies have also been tied to many conditions including depression, dyslexia, weight gain, heart disease, allergies, diabetes, arthritis etc.

Fish consumption and cardiovascular disease

The American Heart Association (AHA) released its Science Advisory "Fish Consumption, Fish oil, Lipids and Coronary Disease" (Stone, N.J., 1996) and since then many important findings have been reported about the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids on cardiovascular disease (CVD). According to a review by Stone, N.J., 1996, three prospective studies within populations reported that men who ate at least some fish weekly had a lower coronary heart disease (CHD) than that of men who ate none (Kromhout, D et al. 1985. & 1995 ., Shekelle R.B, et al. 1985., Dolecek, T.A et al. 1991). Also in an ecological study conducted by Zhang, J. et al. 1999, fish consumption was associated with a reduced risk from all-cause, ischemic heart disease and stroke mortality across 36 countries.

However, some studies have not reported beneficial association of fish consumption and CHD mortality. Rissanen T, et al. (2000) gives an explanation that hypothesized adverse effects of methyl mercury, an environmental contaminant found in certain fish may diminish the health benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids. This indicates that uncontaminated fish from unpolluted waters are to be selected for consumption to get the beneficial effects.

Fish consumption and triglyceride level

It is well - established that Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils lower the level of Triglycerides. Harris, W.S. (1997) reported that about 4g/d of Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil decreased serum triglyceride concentrations by 25% to 30%, LDL cholesterol of 5% to 10% and HDL cholesterol of 1% to 3%.

Omega-3 fatty acids and Blood pressure

Morris M.C et al (1993) found a significant reduction in blood pressure of -3.4/-2.0 Hg in studies with hypertensive subjects who consumed 5.6g/d of omega-3 fatty acids Studies conducted by Appel L.J et al (1993) on untreated hypertensives consuming more than 3g/d of Omega-3 fatty acids reported substantial decrease in their blood pressure levels.

Thrombosis and Hemostasis

Omega-3 fatty acids decrease platelet aggregation (Agren J.J et al 1993 and Mori .T.A. et al 1997). Although it seems clear that omega-3 fatty acids beneficially influence collagen-induced platelet aggregation, their effects on thrombosis remain unclear.

The following Table recommended by AHA (American Heart Association) as a guide to use for consuming Omega-3 fatty acids.

References

• Stone N.J, (1996) Fish consumption, fish oil, lipids and coronary
• Heart disease.(1996). Circulation, 1996; 94 : 2337-2340 .
• Kromhout D, Feskens EJ, Bowles CH., (1995) The protective effect of a small amount of fish on coronary heart disease mortality in an elderly population. Int. Jour. Epidemiol. 1995; 24:340-345.
• Kromhout D, Bosschieter EB, de Lozenne Coulander C.(1985) The inverse relation between fish consumption and 20 year mortality from coronary heart disease. N. Engl. J. Med . 1985; 312:1205-1209.
• Penny M. Khris-Etherton, William S. Harris, Lawrence J. Appel (2002). Circulation, 2002: 106; 2747–2757.
• Shekelle RB, Missell L, Paul O, et al. (1985). Fish consumption and mortality from coronary heart disease. N. Engl. J. Med. 1985; 313-820.
• Dolecek TA, Granditis G. (1991). Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and mortality in the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT). World Rev.Nutr. Diet.1991; 66:205-216.
• Zhang J, Sasaki s, Amano K. et al.(1999). Fish consumption and mortality from all causes, ischemic heart disease and stroke : an ecological study, Prev. Med.1999; 28: 520-529.
• Rissanen T, Voutilainen S, Nyyssonen K, et al.(2000) Fish oil – derived fatty acids, decosapentaenoic acid and the risk of acute coronary events : the Kuopio ischemic heart disease risk factor study. Circulation, 2000; 102: 2677-2679.
• Harris WS (1997). N-3 Fatty acids and serum lipoproteins : Human studies. Am. J. Cln. Nutr.1997; 65 (5 suppl.): 171-175 .
• Morris MC, Sacks F, Rosner B.(1993). Does fish oil lower blood pressure? A meta analysis of controlled trials. Circulation, 1993; 88:523-533.
• Appel LJ, Miller ER 3 rd , Seidler AJ et al.(1993). Does supplementation of diet with "fish oil" reduce blood pressure? A meta analysis of controlled trials. Arch. Intern. Med. 1993;153:1429-1438.
• Agren JJ, Vaisanen S, Hanninen O, et al.(1997) Hemostatic factors and platelet aggregation after a fish enriched diet or fish oil or docohexaenoic acid supplementation. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 1997; 57: 419-421.
• Mori TA, Beilin LJ, Burke V, et al .( 1997). Interactions between dietary fat, fish and fish oils and their effects on platelet function in men at risk of cardiovascular disease. Anterioscler. Thromb.Vasc. Biol.1997; 17:279-286.