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Heart beat: Forgo fried fish for heart protection

Heart beat

Forgo fried fish for heart protection

If you are trying to eat more fish to protect your heart — an excellent idea, by the way — forget fried fish sandwiches and fish sticks. That’s the advice from a long-term follow-up study of 5,000 men and women in four very different communities across the U.S.

In the Cardiovascular Health Study, eating more tuna or other broiled or baked fish was linked with lower rates of death from heart disease, especially sudden death that usually comes from an erratic heart rhythm. The more frequent the fish consumption, the lower the risk. By contrast, eating fried fish or fish sandwiches offered no protection against dying from heart disease.

Tests using sound waves (echocardiograms) showed lower heart rates, healthier blood vessels, and better pumping power in those who ate tuna and other broiled or baked fish, and more signs of artery-clogging atherosclerosis in those who routinely ate fried fish.

What could cause the difference? The types of fish usually served fried, such as cod and other lean white fish, contain relatively little omega-3 fats, which are good for the heart. What’s more, the oils used in deep frying aren’t that good for it.

In the fight against heart disease, fish is good food when broiled, baked, grilled, or steamed. Anything but fried.

Last updated:	August 21, 2006