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Good for your health and the environment: Why we should be eating oily fish

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Tuesday, April 23, 2024

A range of economic, nutritional, religious and ideological factors influence our diets. The key, however, lies in finding a balance that cares for both our health and that of the planet. The traditional Mediterranean and Atlantic diets are two options that meet these requirements. Fish plays an important role in both, providing flavor as well as nutritional value. Globally, annual per capita fish consumption has almost doubled over the last 50 years, from 10.75kg in 1970 to 20.03kg in 2021. It has grown exponentially in China, where the average person ate 4.58kg in 1970, and 39.87kg in 2021, and has also grown significantly in the EU, where annual consumption has increased by 40%, from 16.58kg to 23.44kg in the same period. Oily fish is defined as fish with a proportion of fat higher than 5-6% of their muscle mass: sardines, longfin tuna, mackerel and horse mackerel are some the most well known examples. Oily fish has been part of many countries' cultural heritage throughout history. In Spain, for example, sardines are integral to the San Juan festivities in June, while the coastal fishing season for longfin tuna is also traditionally followed due to the seasonal migration of fish in search of nutrient-rich waters and suitable temperatures for breeding and feeding.   Oily fish as part of a healthy diet On a nutritional level, oily fish stands out thanks to three important components: Polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, which can help to protect against cardiovascular disease and other illnesses. Peptides – protein molecules made up of two or more amino acids – which have various health benefits such as preventing or treating conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. High vitamin content (notably vitamins A, D and E) and other micronutrients such as magnesium, selenium and iodine. The benefits of this combination of nutrients have been demonstrated by the GALIAT (Galician Atlantic Diet) project, led by the Santiago de Compostela University Hospital. The project consists of a series of clinical trials to determine the effects of the traditional Atlantic diet on the general population. The results show a reduction in metabolic syndrome – a group of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.   Sustainable fishing practices The fishing season for sardines, mackerel and horse mackerel runs, with varying intensity, from May to October. Plankton – which these fish eat – is more plentiful at this time of year, giving the fish a higher fat content and a better flavour. The most common method used to catch oily fish is known as "seine" fishing, one of the most environmentally friendly fishing techniques in use today: It produces little to no bycatch (the unwanted part of the catch that is not kept and is thrown back into the sea). Because this technique involves surrounding a shoal of fish with a net in order to catch them, it carefully targets the desired catch, meaning it does not trap or harm other species, thus helping to protect biodiversity. Taking every stage of production into account, its overall carbon footprint is one of the lowest among all sources of dietary protein. Horse mackerel fishing, for example, produces an average footprint equivalent to 550g of CO2 per 100g of protein, while sardines produce 646g of CO2 per 100g protein. This puts oily fish on a par with dairy products, vegetables and legumes, and lower than most fruits and meat.   Oily fish and traditional cooking Fish consumption is part and parcel of the evolution of Homo sapiens. For hundreds of thousands of years our species has incorporated it as a staple food, and its preparation has been perfected throughout history. Oily fish lends itself to a multitude of uses in the kitchen, from simple grilling or griddling to more elaborate dishes like tataki or papillote. One advantage of oily fish is that it is easy to clean and bone, meaning it can be included in children's diets. Given such a wide range of uses, along with its nutritional benefits and low environmental impact, this type of fish should be making regular appearances on our plates. Gumersindo Feijoo Costa, Catedrático de Ingeniería Química. Centro Singular CRETUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

"Fish plays an important role in [multiples diets], providing flavor as well as nutritional value"

A range of economic, nutritional, religious and ideological factors influence our diets. The key, however, lies in finding a balance that cares for both our health and that of the planet.

The traditional Mediterranean and Atlantic diets are two options that meet these requirements. Fish plays an important role in both, providing flavor as well as nutritional value.

Globally, annual per capita fish consumption has almost doubled over the last 50 years, from 10.75kg in 1970 to 20.03kg in 2021. It has grown exponentially in China, where the average person ate 4.58kg in 1970, and 39.87kg in 2021, and has also grown significantly in the EU, where annual consumption has increased by 40%, from 16.58kg to 23.44kg in the same period.

Oily fish is defined as fish with a proportion of fat higher than 5-6% of their muscle mass: sardines, longfin tuna, mackerel and horse mackerel are some the most well known examples.

Oily fish has been part of many countries' cultural heritage throughout history. In Spain, for example, sardines are integral to the San Juan festivities in June, while the coastal fishing season for longfin tuna is also traditionally followed due to the seasonal migration of fish in search of nutrient-rich waters and suitable temperatures for breeding and feeding.

 

Oily fish as part of a healthy diet

On a nutritional level, oily fish stands out thanks to three important components:

  • Polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, which can help to protect against cardiovascular disease and other illnesses.

  • Peptides – protein molecules made up of two or more amino acids – which have various health benefits such as preventing or treating conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

  • High vitamin content (notably vitamins A, D and E) and other micronutrients such as magnesium, selenium and iodine.

The benefits of this combination of nutrients have been demonstrated by the GALIAT (Galician Atlantic Diet) project, led by the Santiago de Compostela University Hospital. The project consists of a series of clinical trials to determine the effects of the traditional Atlantic diet on the general population. The results show a reduction in metabolic syndrome – a group of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

 

Sustainable fishing practices

The fishing season for sardines, mackerel and horse mackerel runs, with varying intensity, from May to October. Plankton – which these fish eat – is more plentiful at this time of year, giving the fish a higher fat content and a better flavour.

The most common method used to catch oily fish is known as "seine" fishing, one of the most environmentally friendly fishing techniques in use today:

  • It produces little to no bycatch (the unwanted part of the catch that is not kept and is thrown back into the sea). Because this technique involves surrounding a shoal of fish with a net in order to catch them, it carefully targets the desired catch, meaning it does not trap or harm other species, thus helping to protect biodiversity.

  • Taking every stage of production into account, its overall carbon footprint is one of the lowest among all sources of dietary protein. Horse mackerel fishing, for example, produces an average footprint equivalent to 550g of CO2 per 100g of protein, while sardines produce 646g of CO2 per 100g protein. This puts oily fish on a par with dairy products, vegetables and legumes, and lower than most fruits and meat.

 

Oily fish and traditional cooking

Fish consumption is part and parcel of the evolution of Homo sapiens. For hundreds of thousands of years our species has incorporated it as a staple food, and its preparation has been perfected throughout history.

Oily fish lends itself to a multitude of uses in the kitchen, from simple grilling or griddling to more elaborate dishes like tataki or papillote. One advantage of oily fish is that it is easy to clean and bone, meaning it can be included in children's diets.

Given such a wide range of uses, along with its nutritional benefits and low environmental impact, this type of fish should be making regular appearances on our plates.

Gumersindo Feijoo Costa, Catedrático de Ingeniería Química. Centro Singular CRETUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Read the full story here.
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Eating less sugar would be great for the planet as well as our health

"Globally, sugar intake has quadrupled over the last 60 years . . ."

Sugar addiction is on the rise. Globally, sugar intake has quadrupled over the last 60 years, and it now makes up around 8% of all our calories. This sounds like sugar's keeping us fed, but added sugars are actually empty calories – they are bereft of any nutrients like vitamins or fibers. The result is massive health costs, with sugars linked to obesity around the world. Some estimates suggest that half the global population could be obese by 2035. A limited 20% reduction in sugar is estimated to save US$10.3 billion (£8.1 billion) of health costs in the US alone. Yet, sugar's impacts go far beyond just health and money. There are also many environmental problems from growing the sugar, like habitat and biodiversity loss and water pollution from fertilizers and mills. But overall, sugar hasn't received a lot of attention from the scientific community despite being the largest cultivated crop by mass on the planet. In a recent article, we evaluated sugar's environmental impacts and explored avenues for reducing sugar in the diet to recommended levels either through reducing production or using the saved sugar in environmentally beneficial ways. By phasing out sugar, we could spare land that could be rewilded and stock up on carbon. This is especially important in biodiverse tropical regions where sugar production is concentrated such as Brazil and India. But a different, more politically palatable option might be redirecting sugar away from diets to other environmentally-beneficial uses such as bioplastics or biofuels. Our study shows that the biggest opportunity is using sugar to feed microbes that make protein. Using saved sugar for this microbial protein could produce enough plant-based, protein-rich food products to regularly feed 521 million people. And if this replaced animal protein it could also have huge emission and water benefits. We estimate that if this protein replaced chicken, it could reduce emissions by almost 250 million tons, and we'd see even bigger savings for replacing beef (for reference, the UK's national fossil fuel emissions are around 300 million tons). Given sugar has a far lower climate impact than meat, this makes a lot of sense. Another alternative is to use the redirected sugar to produce bioplastics, which would replace around 20% of the total market for polyethelyne, one of the most common forms of plastic and used to produce anything from packaging to pipes. Or to produce biofuels, producing around 198 million barrels of ethanol for transportation. Brazil already produces around 85% of the world's ethanol and they produce it from sugar, but instead of having to grow more sugar for ethanol we could redirect the sugar from diets instead. This estimation is based on a world where we reduce dietary sugar to the maximum in dietary recommendations (5% of daily calories). The benefits would be even larger if we reduced sugar consumption even further. Supply chain challenges This sounds like a big win-win: cut sugar to reduce obesity and help the environment. But these changes present a huge challenge in a sugar supply chain spanning more than 100 countries and the millions of people that depend on sugar's income. National policies like sugar taxes are vital, but having international coordination is also important in such a sprawling supply chain. Sustainable agriculture is being discussed at the UN's climate summit, Cop29, in Azerbaijan this week. Sustainable sugar production should factor into these global talks given the many environmental problems and opportunities from changing the way we grow and consume sugar. We also suggest that groups of countries could come together in sugar transition partnerships between producers and consumers that encourage a diversion of sugar away from peoples' diets to more beneficial uses. This could be coordinated by the World Health Organization which has called for a reduction in sugar consumption. Some of the money to fund these efforts could even come from part of the health savings in national budgets. We can't hope to transition the way we produce and eat sugar overnight. But by exploring other uses of sugar, we can highlight what environmental benefits we are missing out on and help policymakers map a resource-efficient path forward to the industry while improving public health.   Don't have time to read about climate change as much as you'd like? Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation's environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who've subscribed so far. Paul Behrens, British Academy Global Professor, Future of Food, Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford and Alon Shepon, Principal Investigator, Department of Environmental Studies, Tel Aviv University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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CDC warns cruise passengers of hot tub disease outbreak

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has alerted cruise-goers of the dangers of hot tub usage on ships. The post CDC warns cruise passengers of hot tub disease outbreak appeared first on SA People.

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TCEQ to hold public permit renewal meeting for Houston concrete plant with past compliance issues

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