Fishing for facts

The Good, the Bad and the Oily

It’s official – eating fish is good for you and one of the best ways of avoiding heart disease and an early death. We don’t agree. All fish, it’s claimed, are healthy but some are said to be healthier than others. ‘Must have’ varieties include herring, mackerel, trout, salmon, sprats, tuna and sardines. The difference between these fish and white fish such as cod, haddock, plaice, sole and whiting is that they’re oily – their natural oils are distributed throughout their flesh. The oils of white fish tend to concentrate in the liver and are mostly eaten as supplements such as cod liver oil.
You’d think fish was the new penicillin judging by the promotional hype it’s been given and it’s these fish oils – or fats – which are the reason. They contain substances called omega-3 fatty acids. These protect your heart and fish are the best source, it is claimed.

Fishy Facts

The VVF has researched a mass of scientific studies to find out just how accurate the claims for fish are. Its new report, Fishing for Facts, shows that fish is not all it’s cracked up to be.
• Most fish – and fish oils in particular – contain deadly poisons.
• Most fish contain mercury, which can damage unborn babies, kidneys and the central nervous system.
• Pregnant women and children have been told to avoid some fish entirely.
• Fish oils are far from being the best way of protecting your heart.
• Overfishing and fish farming are producing massive environmental problems, according to other research.

A Poisonous Legacy

Fats are highly efficient at absorbing toxins and fish fats are no different. Irresponsible human activity has polluted the world’s oceans with deadly poisons such as PCBs, dioxins and organophosphates and they have found their way into most sea creatures, including fish. No one knows for sure what the long term effects of regular exposure to low doses of these poisons will be. The government maintains that it’s safe and desirable to eat two portions of fish a week. The Consumer Association has warned that high levels of poisons in fish and fish oils ‘could put millions at risk’.

Deadly Quick Silver

Mercury also acts like a poison and can damage body cells and seriously affect the kidneys, heart and central nervous system and is best avoided entirely. Unfortunately, many people do have some mercury in their bodies and fish eating accounts for most of it. Some species of fish contain more than the so-called safety levels. Vegetarians have a much safer diet – according to a government study they have almost no exposure to mercury as they don't eat fish.

Unfit for Babies

Some fish is such a high risk food that the government’s watchdog, the Food Standards Agency, has advised pregnant and breastfeeding women to limit the amount of tuna they eat. They have also been told to avoid eating shark, swordfish or marlin entirely as have all children under 16 because the toxins contained in these fish can damage foetuses and immature central nervous systems.

There is a Better Way

The VVF’s research shows that there is a far better way to protect your health than eating fish or fish oils – and it is so simple. Plant oils obtained from flaxseed (linseed), rapeseed and soya, amongst others, and nuts, particularly walnuts, are rich sources of omega-3. Even green leafy vegetables and pulses such as baked beans and peanuts contain it. Plant oils are much more effective in protecting your health than fish oils.

Oceanic Onslaught

Not only have humans turned the seas into a toxic rubbish dump, we have devised every conceivable method of catching fish in our rape of the world’s oceans. Nothing escapes. Most species are now in rapid decline, some of them dangerously so. Nearly 10 years ago, the UN warned that more than half the world’s fishing grounds were facing potentially ‘catastrophic’ declines in some species. The remainder were being exploited to their limits, they said. The situation has got worse since then – much worse. But the decline accelerates as people are urged to eat more and more fish and fish oils for second-rate health benefits when more effective and plentiful sources of essential oils readily exist.

Advice that Doesn’t Work

Eat two portions of fish a week is the official advice, one of them oily fish. Most people manage only about a third of this, so as a health strategy, urging people to eat fish has been a failure. Scoffing the odd fish finger will do nothing to stop heart disease nor the raft of other diseases that are linked to diet, such as high blood pressure, strokes, cancers, obesity and diabetes.

...and Advice that Does

Eating the right plant oils has been shown to massively reduce the risk of heart disease. There is now also a huge volume of science to show that becoming vegetarian or vegan and basing your diet largely around plant foods can significantly reduce your risk of developing many of these ‘affluent’ but deadly diseases.

Hook, Line and Sinker

Eat fish for good health – that’s the message! But you don’t have to take the bait. Contact the VVF for sound, scientific advice on diet and health – advice that could help you to change your diet, reduce your risk of developing deadly diseases and help you to live a longer, healthier life.

Plant Oils v Fish Oils -
How they compare

Plants and Plant Oils	Fish and Fish Oils
For high-risk patients who have had one heart attack, the chance of a second attack is reduced by more than 70 per cent	Reduces the risk of second heart attack by less than 35 per cent
Reduces the risk of suffering a painful but non-deadly heart attack	May not reduce the chances of having a non-deadly attack
Reduces the chances of a heart attack in people who are thought to be at ‘lower risk’	Does not reduce the risk of a heart attack in ‘low-risk’ people
Effectiveness in protecting the heart is long lasting	There may be no long-term protective benefits for the heart
At the bottom of the food chain and much less likely to contain poisons	High up the food chain and more likely to contain poisons