Photo provided by sciencedaily.com

Tilapia is mainly a freshwater fish that has been gaining massive popularity in America among seafood choices. Many choose to eat tilapia because they want to increase their consumption of fish and describe tilapia as not having the “ocean” or “fishy” taste that other seafood has. Unfortunately, almost all tilapia that is consumed in the United States is farm-raised and this popularity trend is not slowing down. Consumption of tilapia in the United States in 2003 was 1.5 million tons and by 2010 consumption is projected to increase to 2.5 million tons, according to Wake Forest University School of Medicine researchers. So you may be asking yourself, whats the big deal with this fish?

Generally, the vast majority of us are told that our diets do not consist of enough omega-3 fatty acids and the best way to get them is through fish. Although most fish do contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, tilapia does not. Not only does tilapia contain very low levels of this essential nutrient, it contains very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. Consumption of foods high in omega-6 fatty acids are known to be associated with heart attacks, thrombotic stroke, arrhythmia, arthritis, osteoporosis, inflammation, mood disorders and cancer. Sciencedaily.com reports that “tilapia has higher levels of potentially detrimental long-chain omega-6 fatty acids than 80-percent-lean hamburger, doughnuts and even pork bacon.” Yikes!

The researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine report that this could be a potentially dangerous mix with individuals who suffer from certain medical conditions. Tilapia certainly isn’t good for anyone, but those with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases need to be particularly careful and avoid tilapia!

Read the full article here.

Stumble Digg Technorati Subscribe Delicious