Re: Yet another benefit for eating fish

[Guest guest]

This is not a study but a popular article penned by a reporter.

Data on fish

> consumption came from the women¹s responses on questionnaires at the start

> of the study

Questionaires are not considered reliable evidence of consumption because people

lie about what and how much they eat.

What about the high mercury content of fish particularly tuna. That can't be

good for you can it?

A better solution may be forgo eating fish entirely and supplement with " clean "

fish oil pills or flaxseed if you are worried about AMD?

>

> Washington Post

> Eating fish may help your eyes

>

> By Searing, Monday, March 28, 5:54 PM

>

> AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

>

> Eating fish may stave off eye disorder

>

>

> THE QUESTION The beneficial oils in fish, known as omega-3 fatty acids, have

> been proven effective in lowering fats linked to heart disease and diabetes

> and are thought to be helpful in combating conditions as disparate as high

> blood pressure, menstrual pain, osteoporosis, psoriasis and depression,

> among others. Might fish consumption also prevent the development of

> age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which gradually destroys vision?

>

> THIS STUDY analyzed data on 38,022 women, who averaged 55 years old and had

> no AMD at the start of the study. In about a 10-year span, the condition had

> been diagnosed in 235 of the women. Those who regularly consumed at least

> one serving of fish a week ‹ especially canned tuna or dark-meat fish such

> as mackerel, salmon, sardines, bluefish or swordfish ‹ were 42 percent less

> likely to have developed AMD than were women who ate less than one serving

> of fish a month.

>

> WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? Older women. AMD involves deterioration of the macula,

> the part of the eye in the center of the retina that enables a person to see

> fine detail. Though the disease can develop in middle age, the vast majority

> of people who have it are 60 or older, including about a third of those

> older than 75.

>

> CAVEATS Whether the findings would apply to men is unclear. Data on fish

> consumption came from the women¹s responses on questionnaires at the start

> of the study and did not reflect any dietary changes thereafter.

>

> FIND THIS STUDY March 14 online issue of Archives of Ophthalmology

> (www.archophthalmol.com or

> http://archopht.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/archophthalmol.2011.34)

>

> LEARN MORE ABOUT AMD at www.nei.nih.gov/health and www.geteyesmart.org.

>

> ‹ Searing

>

[Guest guest]

This IS a study, as published in a major scientific journal as cited in the posting below.

http://archopht.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/archophthalmol.2011.34

Unfortunately long term studies concerning what people eat, of necessity, have to be conducted this way, unless the subjects are imprisoned or otherwise institutionalized.

Guidelines for mercury apply to certain people only. From: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/Seafood/FoodbornePathogensContaminants/Methylmercury/ucm115662.htm

Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are advising women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to avoid some types of fish and eat fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.....

And even for them, there’s a long list of safe fish:

LOWER MERCURY

Eat no more than six 6-oz servings per month

Carp

Mahi Mahi

Crab (dungeness)

Snapper

Crab (blue)

Herring

Crab (snow)

Monkfish

Perch (freshwater)

Skate

Cod

Tuna (canned, chunk light)

Tuna (fresh Pacific albacore)

LOWEST MERCURY

Enjoy two 6-oz servings per week

Anchovies

Butterfish

Calamari (squid)

Caviar (farmed)

Crab (king)

Pollock

Catfish

Whitefish

Perch (ocean)

Scallops

Flounder

Haddock

Hake

Herring

Lobster (spiny/rock)

Shad

Sole

Crawfish/crayfish

Salmon

Shrimp

Clams

Tilapia

Oysters

Sardines

Sturgeon (farmed)

Trout (freshwater)

Chart obtained from the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC); data obtained by the FDA and the EPA.

On 3/29/11 1:05 PM, " grudendon " <grudendon@...> wrote:

This is not a study but a popular article penned by a reporter.

Data on fish

> consumption came from the women’s responses on questionnaires at the start

> of the study

Questionaires are not considered reliable evidence of consumption because people lie about what and how much they eat.

What about the high mercury content of fish particularly tuna. That can't be good for you can it?

A better solution may be forgo eating fish entirely and supplement with " clean " fish oil pills or flaxseed if you are worried about AMD?

>

> Washington Post

> Eating fish may help your eyes

>

> By Searing, Monday, March 28, 5:54 PM

>

> AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

>

> Eating fish may stave off eye disorder

>

>

> THE QUESTION The beneficial oils in fish, known as omega-3 fatty acids, have

> been proven effective in lowering fats linked to heart disease and diabetes

> and are thought to be helpful in combating conditions as disparate as high

> blood pressure, menstrual pain, osteoporosis, psoriasis and depression,

> among others. Might fish consumption also prevent the development of

> age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which gradually destroys vision?

>

> THIS STUDY analyzed data on 38,022 women, who averaged 55 years old and had

> no AMD at the start of the study. In about a 10-year span, the condition had

> been diagnosed in 235 of the women. Those who regularly consumed at least

> one serving of fish a week — especially canned tuna or dark-meat fish such

> as mackerel, salmon, sardines, bluefish or swordfish — were 42 percent less

> likely to have developed AMD than were women who ate less than one serving

> of fish a month.

>

> WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? Older women. AMD involves deterioration of the macula,

> the part of the eye in the center of the retina that enables a person to see

> fine detail. Though the disease can develop in middle age, the vast majority

> of people who have it are 60 or older, including about a third of those

> older than 75.

>

> CAVEATS Whether the findings would apply to men is unclear. Data on fish

> consumption came from the women’s responses on questionnaires at the start

> of the study and did not reflect any dietary changes thereafter.

>

> FIND THIS STUDY March 14 online issue of Archives of Ophthalmology

> (www.archophthalmol.com or

> http://archopht.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/archophthalmol.2011.34)

>

> LEARN MORE ABOUT AMD at www.nei.nih.gov/health and www.geteyesmart.org.

>

> — Searing

>

[Guest guest]

While, in a report regarding a pdf-availed paper, it was said:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/todays_paper/Health/2011-03-29/E/2/18.0.2053834825_epaper.html

Nuts to that. I liked the below previous free full-texts paper more.

Dietary fatty acids and the 10-year incidence of age-related macular degeneration: the Blue Mountains Eye Study.Tan JS, Wang JJ, Flood V, P.Arch Ophthalmol. 2009 May;127(5):656-65.PMID: 19433717Free Articlehttp://archopht.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/127/5/656http://archopht.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/127/5/656

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between baseline dietary fatty acids and 10-year incident age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

METHODS: In an elderly Australian cohort, 3654 participants were examined at baseline and 2454 were examined 5 and/or 10 years later. We assessed AMD from retinal photographs. Participants completed a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire.

RESULTS: After adjusting for age, sex, and smoking, 1 serving of fish per week was associated with reduced risk of incident early AMD (relative risk, 0.69 [95% confidence interval, 0.49-0.98]), primarily among participants with less than the median linoleic acid consumption (0.57 [0.36-0.89]). Findings were similar for intake of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. One to 2 servings of nuts per week was associated with reduced risk of incident early AMD (relative risk, 0.65 [95% confidence interval, 0.47-0.91]). Protective associations between the intake of nuts and reduced risk of pigmentary abnormalities were seen among nonsmokers, participants with less than the median ratio of serum total to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and those with beta carotene intake greater than the median level.

CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of protection against early AMD from regularly eating fish, greater consumption of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and low intakes of foods rich in linoleic acid. Regular consumption of nuts may also reduce AMD risk. Joint effects from multiple factors are suggested.

-- Al Pater, alpater@...