Farm-raised fish show lower levels of Omega-3

Just when you started to learn about the benefits of omega-3 and control of iflammation, this recent story in Acres USA point out that farm-raised fish contain lower levels of omega-3.

Researchers from Wake Forest University have found something fishy about one of America's most popular fish foods: farm-raised tilapia. Common belief has it that fish are a good source of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, a way of restoring America's distorted omega-3 to omega-6 ratio. Investigators found, however, that tested farm-raised tilapia (and catfish) not only has low levels of omega-3, it has more omega-6s than bacon, doughnuts and 80 percent lean hamburger. Even tested farm-raised salmon has 3 grams of omega-3 per 100 grams of flesh and farm-raised trout 4 grams. Farm-raised tilapia, however, has less than a half gram per 100. The main culprit behind the high omega-6 levels in farm-raised fish is apparently the corn-soy diet. Most wild fish eat greens (and/or other fish that eat greens), which is what produces omega-3s, as is the case with pasture-fed livestock. For those who eat fish as a way of controlling inflammatory diseases via an increase of omega-3 intake, farm-raised tilapia is not a good choice, according to the researchers.