Exactly 3 weeks ago, we talked about how to avoid your 1st stroke. Now comes a new study to be published next month in which the authors studied the dietary habits of 21,675 participants >45yo and discovered that less than one in four consumed at least two servings of non-fried fish weekly as suggested by nutritionists. The chances of meeting this requirement were worst for those (African-Americans) who lived in the Stroke Buckle of the Stroke Belt which may account for the racial & geographic differences we find in stroke risk. Ironically, African-Americans consumed more fish than Caucasians but unfortunately most of it was fried. And those living in the Stroke Belt & Stroke Buckle were more likely to consume greater than two servings of fried fish weekly.
Let's be clear, this study does not establish causality. In other words, this study doesn't prove that eating fried fish causes strokes. However, the results are consistent with what we know, that fried foods aren't good for us. But perhaps it's the omega 3 fatty acid content that's important. Fatty fish such as salmon, herring & mackeral have significantly more of the omega 3 fatty acids EPA & DHA than their lean counterparts, eg catfish, cod & haddock, which are usually fried. Another point that's been raised about farmed vs wild-caught salmon is also mentioned in this study regarding catfish: farmed catfish has less EPA & DHA than its wild-caught counterpart.
So, details do matter. We need to eat more non-fried fatty fish, not fried lean fish. What a bummer. I really love my fish & chips!
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