New guidelines reassert the heart-healthy benefits of seafood
New guidelines from the American Heart Association published today in the journal Circulation cement the importance of eating fish to help protect your heart.
The panel of experts who produced the AHA’s new scientific advisory on fish consumption reviewed the research that has emerged in the decade and a half since the AHA’s last issued recommendations for eating fish in 2002.
“We looked at several more cardiovascular disease-related endpoints [related to seafood consumption], including congestive heart failure, stroke, and hypertension,” says Eric B. Rimm, Sc.D., chair of the AHA’s writing group and professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. “Also, there is substantially more evidence now pointing to seafood intake and lower risk of coronary heart disease and sudden cardiac death—especially when the seafood replaces less healthy main dishes such as beef or pork.”
In the end, the panel found no reason to change the AHA’s current recommendations for eating fish: Have two servings of nonfried fish—especially fatty fish—per week. A serving is 3½ ounces of cooked fish or ¾ cup of flaked fish…