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Author Topic: Omega 3 and Farmed salmon  (Read 9559 times)

alwaysfishn

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Omega 3 and Farmed salmon
« on: July 30, 2012, 05:25:31 PM »

Eating salmon is good for you because it's loaded with Omega 3.......  no argument there. However when someone tries to convince you that eating farmed salmon is as good for you as eating wild salmon.....   tell them they are wrong.

Here's why. It turns out that you need to be taking the amount of Omega 6 into consideration as well. Salmon contain both....   While Omega 3 is an anti-oxidant, Omega 6 is an inflamatory type of fatty acid. Omega 3 helps prevent diseases, however too much Omega 6 has been proven to cause some diseases.

While you need both in your body, as the body cannot produce either on it's own, you need to watch the ratio. The ideal ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 is 3:1. The average North American diet has a ratio closer to 30:1.... 

Wild-caught salmon has an Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio of up to 19:1, farm raised salmon has a ratio of about 2:1, which is lower than our optimum ratio!

Added to the already high level of Omega 6 in most processed foods the average North American eats, the farmed salmon you eat actually hinders the balance of Omega 3 versus Omega 6, rather than helping. Only if you ate nothing but farm raised salmon for every meal, which no one would consider safe, would you even come close to your ideal balance.

High levels of Omega 6 cause the body to become more susceptible to diseases such as, asthma, coronary heart disease, many forms of cancer.

Many nutrition experts believe that before we relied so heavily on processed foods, humans consumed omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in roughly equal amounts. But to our great detriment, most North Americans and Europeans now get far too much of the omega-6s and not enough of the omega-3s. This dietary imbalance may explain the rise of such diseases as asthma, coronary heart disease, many forms of cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegenerative diseases, all of which are believed to stem from inflammation in the body. The imbalance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may also contribute to obesity, depression, dyslexia, hyperactivity and even a tendency toward violence. Bringing the fats into proper proportion may actually relieve those conditions, according to Joseph Hibbeln, M.D., a psychiatrist at the National Institutes of Health, and perhaps the world's leading authority on the relationship between fat consumption and mental health. At the 2006 Nutrition and Health Conference sponsored by the University of Arizona's College of Medicine and Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Hibbeln cited a study showing that violence in a British prison dropped by 37 percent after omega-3 oils and vitamins were added to the prisoners' diets.  http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400149/balancing-omega-3-and-omega-6.html

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chris gadsden

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Re: Omega 3 and Farmed salmon
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2012, 05:33:32 PM »


Good to know this.

Glad we have been enjoying fresh wild chinooks that I have been fortunate to catch the last 2 weeks.

alwaysfishn

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Re: Omega 3 and Farmed salmon
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2012, 05:57:31 PM »

Here's a little more reading: http://diaryofanutritionist.com/2010/05/19/omega-3s-salmon-what-they-dont-tell-you-about-your-farm-raised-fish/

May 19, 2010 by Lauren Talbot

Due to it’s promising anti-inflammatory response in the body, the health world seems to be obsessed with the Omega fatty acid, Omega-3.  Because of this, Salmon has taken the center stage as the “good fat” fish, and salmon sales have soared.



What they tend to leave out of this equation though, is the other side of the story.   While wild salmon is highly anti-inflammatory (that is a good thing), farm- raised salmon is the exact opposite.  Farm-raised salmon is highly inflammatory (i.e. causes inflammation). In fact, you are better off avoiding farmed salmon.

Inflammation is both a natural and necessary part of the body’s defense.  Inflammation has its purpose. If you have ever knocked into something hard, it can be quite unbelievable at how quick your body responds by swelling, and giving you a lovely welt to show for it.

However, excessive inflammation is all too common. Those that suffer from allergies, asthma, and arthritis, are already aware of the unpleasantries of excessive inflammation.  From premature wrinkles, to heart disease, inflammation can affect everything.

What does this have to do with salmon?

Our body responds to the foods we eat by either creating an inflammatory effect (bad) or an anti-inflammatory effect (good) in the body.  While, Omega-3 fatty acids create an anti-inflammatory reaction in the body, Omega-6 fatty acids create an inflammatory reaction.  (You don’t see supplements touting their Omega-6 amounts– but you do see them bragging about their levels of Omega-3s).

Why is this important?

Farm-raised salmon are fed cereal grains, soy and corn (and sometimes poultry litter and hydrolyzed chicken feathers), whereas, wild salmon enjoy a natural diet rich in algae and shrimp.  Regardless of the fact that Nature did not intend for salmon to be crammed into crowded pens, and showered with antibiotics, and pesticides… cereal grains, soy, and corn are all predominately high in Omega-6.  Although a farm-raised salmon will still contain Omega-3, the Omega-6’s far outweigh the Omega-3’s, and cause inflammation in the body.

If wild salmon is not an option, organically, farm-raised salmon, and/or high-quality (antibiotic free) salmon, from a trusted grocer, like Whole Foods, is the better alternative. Regardless, of whether it is organically raised, salmon fed organic cereal grains, and organic soy, are still high/higher in Omega-6, than Omega-3.

What can you do?  Reduce your farmed salmon consumption and start to see health improvements.  Wild Salmon, although more pricey, (and when in season), is loaded in Omega-3, and well worth the wait, price, and taste.  Really need salmon now?  Wild salmon can be found in most health markets, in cans for around $4, or hit up Whole Foods, and read about their farmed raised fish.

Quality is Key!

If you are going to buy the canned stuff, look for the brands of wild salmon that do not contain additives.  Artic Char is also available seasonally at Whole Foods, and tastes similar to salmon (without the inflammation, or inflated price).

Always make sure you are purchasing your fish from a quality grocer. Your local market may be selling their tilapia for $2.00 less, a pound, but if that tilapia/salmon/flounder is being fed antibiotics, hydrolyzed chicken feathers, and poultry, well you better believe that what they eat, effects what you eat.

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alwaysfishn

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Re: Omega 3 and Farmed salmon
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2012, 06:22:24 PM »

One more: https://www.toplinefoods.com/wild-caught-salmon/

Omega-3 fatty acids and Omega-6 fatty acids are both necessary to human life, and like many vital nutrients we are incapable of making them ourselves. They have to come from the things we eat. Omega-6, among other things, causes an increase in blood clotting and inflammation. It comes from the seeds and oils of corn, soybeans, sunflower, and wheat. These are the ingredients that find their way into everything we eat in our modern diet; from the grains themselves to anything cooked or processed with their oils, like cookies, crackers, and fast foods. Because animals also eat these fatty acids instead of producing them, Omega-6 is also extremely high in the meats that we feed primarily on grains; including factory farmed beef, chicken, and pork.

Omega-3 suppresses blood clotting and inflammation, and comes from foods like walnuts, flaxseeds, cold water fish, and grass-fed anything. Now that grain fed meats are dominating the market, all these sources are relatively obscure. Neither of these fatty acids is necessarily bad for you, but they’re supposed to work together; in a healthy, natural diet, humans have roughly a 1:1 or even a 4:1 ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6. The average American is nowhere close; with an average ratio somewhere around 1:20! Eating cold water fish like salmon can help restore the balance, and the list of potential benefits is staggering. Medline has a list of 28 different health problems which reputable scientific research has concluded could be improved by increased intake of Omega-3, and 23 more that still need to be verified. Take a look at the highlights:

• Fish oil can reduce triglycerides by 20-50%, reducing the risk of heart disease. It can prevent people from developing heart disease in the first place, and help prevent those who have heart disease of dying from it.
• Consuming fish once or twice a week can reduce the risk of stroke by up to 27%
• Fish oil can slow or even reverse the hardening of coronary arteries
• It also lowers cholesterol
• Omega-3’s anti inflammatory properties relax blood vessels and reduce high blood pressure
• The same properties can help relieve arthritis or menstrual pain.
• Fish oil can slow or even reverse some of the effects of osteoporosis
• Childhood asthma is less prevalent when mothers consume fish oils late in pregnancy; children who have asthma do better and need less medication when they add fish oil to their diet.
• For those with Bipolar disorder, fish oil can reduce both the severity and frequency of episode of depression. There is some research which suggests that fish oil is effective in improving other cases of depression as well.
• Teens and young adults with mild symptoms of psychosis can reduce their chances of developing a full psychotic illness by taking fish oil.
• Fish oil may reduce the risk of certain cancers

In addition, a lot of early research investigating how Omega 3 fatty acids could improve ADHD, aggressive tendencies, Autism, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, dyslexia and schizophrenia are available at Nutritional Healing; Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Mental Health.

Because of all these great benefits, the American Heart Association officially recommends eating at least 7 ounces of fatty fish a week; they also say that salmon is a preferable choice because it is especially high in Omega-3 and low in mercury compared to other fish. If you’ll remember, the EPA agreed that four meals of 8 ounces of wild-caught salmon per month was fine, even in its most conservative estimation. However, if you tried to meet the AHA’s minimum with farm-raised salmon, you would be taking in almost 4 times the EPA’s maximum. If you don’t want to be forced to choose between risking cancer and risking heart disease, wild-caught salmon is literally the only way to go. And that’s assuming they’re identical in nutritional value.

The Big Mistakes
Let’s start off with why raising salmon in farms is not actually helping to reduce over-fishing. You would think that if half of the market’s salmon are coming from farms, that’s half of the market’s salmon that don’t have to come from the ocean; a bit of an improvement, right? Well, there’s unfortunately one very critical hole in that logic, which salmon farmers are struggling to overcome.

King Salmon Fishery
Salmon are carnivores. It takes on average 5 pounds of seafood to raise one pound of salmon. According to one biologist quoted on the Pure Salmon Campaign, “one sea loch [contains] 25 times as many farm salmon as there are wild salmon for the whole west coast of Scotland”. If there was really enough salmon chow in the oceans to support those kinds of numbers, wouldn’t there be that many salmon occurring naturally?

Even salmon farmers realize that they can’t continue on this path. “Our biggest challenge,” said an executive quoted in the Los Angeles Times, “is to find substitute grains for fish meal and fish oil.”

Really? Because we would have guessed that their biggest challenge would be to market a product fed on the same grains that have destroyed the Omega-3 ratio of every other factory farmed animal in the States, driving health conscious Americans to buy salmon in the first place and make their entire industry possible. But that’s just us.

Wild-caught salmon has an Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio of up to 19:1, farm raised salmon has a ratio of about 2:1, which is lower than our optimum ratio! Only if you ate nothing but farm raised salmon for every meal, which no one would consider safe, would you even come close to your ideal balance. There is absolutely no comparison.
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Dave

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Re: Omega 3 and Farmed salmon
« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2012, 07:54:58 PM »

Wow, this salmon farming debate has drifted from sea lice, PCB’s, killing seals and sea lions, benthic contamination, pathogens and diseases, virus's and non virus's, food conversion ratios, SLICE applications, economics, antibiotics or the lack thereof, interbreeding of species, North Pacific  salmon ranching, cooperate funders, Cohen spending and coverups, etc, etc and above all, questions of poor science by Alexandra Morton.

Now we're talking Omega acids?  Is this all you have left???

Sorry af, this latest post won't change jack squat.  People will still be buying farmed salmon because they will be available whenever wanted, and that says it all for today's average consumer.

Keep looking for those wild populations to harvest to meet this new found demand though; please let us know when you find them.

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adriaticum

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Re: Omega 3 and Farmed salmon
« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2012, 08:06:43 PM »

I've been eating farm raised chickens, pigs, cows all my life pretty much and I've been doing ok so far.
Of course, natural is always better and applies to all species especially when you know what the animals have been fed.
I'd rather hunt my own food.
But most people do not have the opportunity to eat anything wild.
If everyone attempted to eat wild fish there would not be any salmon left.

So we must farm.
The question is how.
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Bassonator

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Re: Omega 3 and Farmed salmon
« Reply #6 on: July 30, 2012, 08:07:06 PM »

Kinda funny AF when I was at Costco yesterday lotsa of carts with farmed salmon in them including mine for a bbq I had last nite...yummers cedar planked btw. ;D ;D
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Bassonator

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Re: Omega 3 and Farmed salmon
« Reply #7 on: July 30, 2012, 08:09:48 PM »

I've been eating farm raised chickens, pigs, cows all my life pretty much and I've been doing ok so far.
Of course, natural is always better and applies to all species especially when you know what the animals have been fed.
I'd rather hunt my own food.
But most people do not have the opportunity to eat anything wild.
If everyone attempted to eat wild fish there would not be any salmon left.

So we must farm.
The question is how.


Hit the nail right on the head.

Let us sporties do away with all wid salmon and then what...Keep up the posts AF......soon our wilds will go the way of the cod back east.. ;D ;D
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alwaysfishn

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Re: Omega 3 and Farmed salmon
« Reply #8 on: July 30, 2012, 09:26:13 PM »

Wow, this salmon farming debate has drifted from sea lice, PCB’s, killing seals and sea lions, benthic contamination, pathogens and diseases, virus's and non virus's, food conversion ratios, SLICE applications, economics, antibiotics or the lack thereof, interbreeding of species, North Pacific  salmon ranching, cooperate funders, Cohen spending and coverups, etc, etc and above all, questions of poor science by Alexandra Morton.

Now we're talking Omega acids?  Is this all you have left???

Sorry af, this latest post won't change jack squat.  People will still be buying farmed salmon because they will be available whenever wanted, and that says it all for today's average consumer.

Keep looking for those wild populations to harvest to meet this new found demand though; please let us know when you find them.


Nothing wrong with a little information is there? More and more consumers are asking where their food comes from and they are wondering what it contains.

Once a person has the information they can do what they want with it. Bassonator is apparently happy loading up on Omega 6 fatty acids.  :o
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Bassonator

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Re: Omega 3 and Farmed salmon
« Reply #9 on: July 30, 2012, 10:05:03 PM »

so AF what do you eat.....heres a list of all foods containing n-6 fatty acids, or Omega 6.

poultry
eggs
avocado
nuts
cereals
durum wheat
whole-grain breads
most vegetable oils
evening primrose oil
borage oil
blackcurrant seed oil
flax/linseed oil
rapeseed or canola oil
hemp oil
soybean oil
cottonseed oil
sunflower seed oil
corn oil
safflower oil
pumpkin seeds
acai berry
cashews
spirulina
[edit]
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alwaysfishn

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Re: Omega 3 and Farmed salmon
« Reply #10 on: July 30, 2012, 10:29:41 PM »

so AF what do you eat.....heres a list of all foods containing n-6 fatty acids, or Omega 6.

poultry
eggs
avocado
nuts
cereals
durum wheat
whole-grain breads
most vegetable oils
evening primrose oil
borage oil
blackcurrant seed oil
flax/linseed oil
rapeseed or canola oil
hemp oil
soybean oil
cottonseed oil
sunflower seed oil
corn oil
safflower oil
pumpkin seeds
acai berry
cashews
spirulina
[edit]

It's good to see you doing some research.....  There is no problem with Omega 6 as the articles I referenced suggest. The problem is the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 intake. Optimum ratio is 3:1 Omega 6 to Omega 3. Unfortunately because the processed foods we eat, as well as the foods you have listed are so high in Omega 6, we are eating on average a ratio of 30:1 Omega 6 to Omega 3.

Eating high Omega 3 foods like salmon helps the ratio, however not if you eat the farmed stuff which from an Omega 3 perspective offers no benefit whatsoever.

But don't worry as long as you are eating lots of high Omega 3 foods like Flax Seeds, Walnuts, Sardines, Soybeans, Halibut, Scallops, Shrimp, Tofu, and Tuna along with that feedlot salmon, you should be fine.
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shuswapsteve

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Re: Omega 3 and Farmed salmon
« Reply #11 on: July 30, 2012, 10:37:12 PM »

Round and around we go again…lol.  Almost 4 times the EPA’s maximum?  Maximum of what?  Mercury?  PCBs?  The risks of cancers from PCBs do not even come close to the risks of coronary heart disease.  If people are that worried about the risk of PCBs and mercury then they should go organic and/or think seriously where they get their other food items like pork, beef, chicken, milk, etc. and put limits on consuming those first.  PCB being lipophilic (greater affinity to bind to fat) would be in much greater concentrations in those other food items.

In my opinion, this sends the wrong message to a society that has an obesity problem and a Type-2 Diabetes problem.  Those are much greater health concerns than any risk associated with cancers from PCBs.  Not even close.  People should be encouraged to eat either farmed or wild salmon because the benefits far outweigh the risks.  For that matter, I do not particularly care what this posted site says about the ratio of Omega 3 or Omega 6 for farmed salmon (If you read below you will see what I mean).

Yet, I have no doubt that the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 is 30:1 for most North Americans because many eat a diet that has too much saturated fat, too much salt and too much processed sugar.  Eating more fish whether it is farmed or wild salmon is better than eating a diet that is dominated by saturated fats, trans fats, salt and sugar.  What do you think processed foods have?  Read the nutrition label sometime…..Fast and convenient foods are usually high in calories, carbohydrates (processed sugar), salt and saturated fat.  Now I am not perfect because I take the odd processed meal when I do not make a proper lunch; however, that one processed meal (365g plate) that is in my deep freeze has 440 calories and 53% of your daily value of salt.  I have seen some with 660 calories (roughly the same serving size as the last).  That is the type of diet that is causing the real trouble – not farmed fish (IMO).  Has anyone ever seen what food is offered in the Dallas-Fort Worth airport or even the Canadian airports?  Ever notice how portions have become larger at fast food places?  What use to be a small size actually looks more like medium now.  Ever notice food items that are “Low fat” are actually high in sugar?  In addition, let’s not forget how inactive many people are, combine that with the North American diet and you have a real health crisis.  Look at teenagers in the high schools and see what they are eating for lunches, and if they have cafeterias, what are they serving the young people.  If you ever watched Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution you will see what some kids are being fed in US high school cafeterias.  Young people would benefit more by eating farmed or wild salmon than eating some of the things they have in their lunch bags these days.

If you are not eating farmed fish because you are concerned about “inflammation” or “dietary imbalance” and are still eating other foods that are high (% daily value) in the things I have just mentioned then you are no better off – actually a lot worse (in my opinion).  If people are that worried about any contaminants in farmed salmon they can always trim the fat from their fillets (something not done in Hites et al 2004…The report that farm critics have rallied behind to say that farmed salmon is unsafe to eat).  However, even if you did trim the fat from them, the health benefits still surpass any risks by a country mile.

It should be noted that the US is getting geared up to expand aquaculture activities and the worldwide demand for aquaculture products is going up every year.
« Last Edit: July 30, 2012, 10:45:04 PM by shuswapsteve »
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alwaysfishn

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Re: Omega 3 and Farmed salmon
« Reply #13 on: July 30, 2012, 11:11:01 PM »

That is false.


I beg to differ..... 

Logic dictates that if the average North American's current intake ratio of Omega 6 to 3 is 30:1 and they eat farmed salmon that has an Omega 6 to 3 ratio of 1:2, then they have not improved their intake ratio at all, no matter how much farmed salmon they eat! And with the trend of substituting processed grains for fishmeal, the level of Omega 3 in the feedlot salmon will continue to decrease.

On the other hand if you eat wild salmon which has an Omega 6 to 3 ratio of 1:19, depending on the quantity of wild salmon you eat, you can dramatically improve your intake ratio.

The main selling point of the fish feedlot business is "eat farmed salmon because it is high in Omega 3 and the benefit of Omega 3 outweighs the fact that the farmed stuff is high in PCB's".   That is false.

The truth is the Omega 3 in farmed salmon is not high enough to make any difference to a person's health and eating farmed salmon puts you at higher risk of adding to the PCB's we are already ingesting with other foods we eat.

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absolon

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Re: Omega 3 and Farmed salmon
« Reply #14 on: July 30, 2012, 11:19:59 PM »

I beg to differ..... 

Logic dictates that if the average North American's current intake ratio of Omega 6 to 3 is 30:1 and they eat farmed salmon that has an Omega 6 to 3 ratio of 1:2, then they have not improved their intake ratio at all, no matter how much farmed salmon they eat! And with the trend of substituting processed grains for fishmeal, the level of Omega 3 in the feedlot salmon will continue to decrease.



You might want to double check your math here.
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