drmarc

Is farmed salmon dangerous to your health? A 2004 article in the journal, Science, caused concern over higher levels of PCB’s found in farmed salmon compared to wild salmon. PCB’s (Polychlorinated biphenyls) are potentially carcinogenic compounds once used in coolants and lubricants that have since been banned in the United States. The knee jerk response by many diet and nutrition gurus was to advocate wild salmon consumption and avoid farmed salmon.rnrnHowever, this one-sided approach ignored the health benefits of salmon, a rich source of Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fish oils help the heart in a number of ways. They help keep your heart arteries clean by reducing triglycerides levels (high levels can cause plaque build up) and make platelets less sticky (prevents clots from forming). They also help prevent arrhythmias which may explain the reduced risk of fatal heart attacks in some studies. rnrnTaking a risk-benefit approach to the theoretical risk posed by higher levels of PCB’s found in these early studies of farmed salmon, you come out in favor of farmed salmon consumption. 92 people would be saved from heart disease related death for every person that develops cancer. Conjecture aside, this debate is becoming moot as salmon producers in North and South America have reduced the PCB content of farmed salmon to levels approaching that of wild salmon. They have done this my replacing some of the fish meal feed, the primary source of PCBs in farmed salmon, with vegetable meal.rn rnThe message to avoid farmed salmon, coupled with the higher cost of wild salmon, may have convinced some Americans to avoid salmon all together. This is a tragedy because the average American diet contains few good sources of these beneficial Omega 3 fatty acids.rnrnAdd to this the knowledge that not all Omega 3 fatty acids are created equal. There are vegetarian sources of Omega 3 found in high concentrations in flax, walnuts, and soy. While these vegetarian Omega 3 fatty acids are also beneficial, the majority of studies demonstrating the protective benefits of Omega 3 against heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and cancer have been with the fish or “marine” form found in fatty cold water fish like salmon, tuna, herring, sardines, halibut, trout and mackerel. We can convert vegetarian sources of Omega-3 to these “marine” Omega 3 fatty acids but this process is very inefficient so we essentially need to get these marine forms of Omega-3 from animal sources. rnrnConcerned about mercury? Not to worry. Both farmed and wild salmon are low in mercury. So while I also enjoy wild salmon, farmed salmon is a safe, healthy food that is affordable and available fresh year round.rn