Popular Tilapia Might Not Help Heart(ffect of an explosion in farmed fish (in...),Health

This study used gas chromatography to analyze the fatty acid composition of 30 widely consumed farmed and wild fish.

Farmed trout and Atlantic salmon had relatively good concentrations of "good" omega-3 fatty acids compared with "bad" omega-6 fatty acids.

Farm-raised tilapia and catfish, on the other hand, had troubling ratios.

Tallmadge recommends looking for wild fish. Wild salmon, even canned wild salmon, has high levels of omega-3s and is an excellent source of protein. "It can be fairly economical," she said. "I buy frozen salmon at Trader Joe's for about $7 a pound, that's $2 a serving."

Concentrate on cold-water fish such as salmon, rainbow trout, sardines, tuna and anchovies, all of which have healthy fats, added Marianne Grant, a health educator with Texas A&M Health Science Centers Coastal Bend Health Education Center, in Corpus Christi.

"In the 1970s, we lost the ability to feed the planet with fish we catch," Chilton said. "Farm-raised fish has to be part of our future, but we must do it correctly. We must feed animals the correct foods. Animals become what we feed them, and we become what we eat as well. The food chain is fairly consistent."

More information

Visit the American Heart Association for more on fish and fatty acids.

SOURCES: Floyd H. Chilton, Ph.D., professor, physiology and pharmacology, and director, Wake Forest Center for Botanical Lipids, Winston-Salem, N.C.; Katherine Tallmadge, R.D., national spokeswoman, American Dietetic Association, Washington, D.C.; Marianne Grant, R.D., L.D., health educator, Texas A&M Health Science Center C
'/>"/>