Salmon gets the tick
October 28, 2004
Salmon gets the tick
Your grandmother probably forced a daily dose of fishy-smelling cod liver oil down your reluctant father's throat but there was method in her medication.
Cod-liver oil is high in essential fatty acids, most importantly omega-3. Omega-3, amongst its many attributes, can help to maintain a healthy heart.
With National Heart Week upon us, it's great to know there's a much more taste-bud tempting way to get your daily dose of omega-3 - by eating salmon.
No longer an expensive delicacy, salmon is positively dripping in omega-3 oils.
In fact, American Heart Association guidelines say
we should be eating two servings of fish - particularly
'oily' fish such as salmon - every week[1]
In New Zealand, it's a stance
endorsed by Massey University Associate Professor Marlena
Kruger. "Cardiovascular risk reduction is perhaps the most
widely recognised health effect of omega-3 fats," Professor
Kruger says. "In fact, the US Food and Drug
Administration allowed a qualified claim on foods containing
omega-3 fats highlighting their beneficial role in combating
cardio-vascular disease." "And salmon is an excellent
source of omega-3 fats." "Omega-3 fats prevent blood cells from clumping
together and forming blood clots that can be a cause of
heart attack and stroke. Eating just one meal of omega-rich
fish a week has been associated with a 50per cent reduction
in risk of heart attack in some populations."[2]
Structurally, omega fats are found in the membranes of
cells. They are important for maintaining membrane
flexibility and normal functioning of the cells, Prof Kruger
says. The omega fats also assist several essential
chemical processes in the human body. Regal Marlborough
Salmon chief executive Paul Steere is naturally a firm
advocate of salmon as a health food. "As we enter National
Heart Week, it is timely to remind ourselves the heart will
beat more than two and a half billion times in an average
lifetime. It's the true powerhouse of life, so it's
important obviously to look after the pump with regular
maintenance. "Salmon is a maintenance food and sea-farmed
Regal Marlborough Salmon gets a big tick from the New
Zealand Heart Foundation," Mr Steere says. ENDS
Prof Kruger says omega fats have
a number of functions in the body, several of which are
particularly relevant in the prevention of heart
disease.