FSA challenged over fish promotion
On the eve of the Food Standard Agency issuing recommendations for safe maximum levels of oily fish consumption, health charity the Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation (VVF) today challenged the need for fish consumption at all. Oily fish has been promoted as a “healthy” food because it contains omega-3 fatty acids which are beneficial in preventing heart disease and may also promote intelligence and mental health. However, contamination of fish by pollutants such as dioxins and mercury carries grave health risks and is the reason that the FSA is introducing these new limits. In contrast, omega-3s from plant sources carry specific advantages in protecting the heart and carry a negligible risk of contamination. A scientific report published by the VVF last year demonstrates that fish is not a necessary part of the diet. The Fishing for Facts report found that: – Plant oils are twice as effective in reducing the risks of heart attack than fish oils. – The government’s own Food Standards Agency (FSA) already advise that children under 16 should not eat some types of fish due to contamination. – Fish is the major dietary contributor of deadly poisons like mercury. – Government research failed to detect any mercury at all in vegetarian diets. – All the omega-3 “good’ fats needed in the diet are easily available from plant oils. The research shows that for high risk patients who have had a heart attack, plant omega-3s reduce their risk of dying by up to 70 per cent. With fish omega-3s there is only a 30 per cent reduction in their risk of death. Plant omega-3s also significantly reduce the risk of suffering painful but non-deadly heart attacks. This protection begins early in the treatment and is long lasting. Even people who eat a comparatively healthy, low-fat diet reduce their risk of a heart attack by increasing their consumption of plant omega-3s. Fish omega-3s do not reduce their risk. The richest known sources of essential omega 3 fats from a plant based diet include seeds, nuts and beans – particularly walnuts, linseed (flaxseed) and rapeseed (canola) and their oils. Evidence shows that vegetarians who avoid fish entirely have a 25 per cent reduced risk of dying from heart disease compared to those who eat meat and fish. Those on a near-vegan diet can reverse even severe cardiovascular disease and show a significant reduction in the hardening of their arteries. “The facts are clear,” says Lee Jerome, health campaigner for the VVF, “why have a maximum recommended level for oily fish consumption when it is healthier and safer to avoid fish altogether by obtaining your omega 3 fats from a plant-based diet which contains no harmful toxins? The research shows that plant seeds and oils provide omega-3s which are actually more effective in protecting your heart than fish omega-3s. A huge and growing volume of research shows that the best way to avoid heart disease is to adopt a more plant-centred diet, low in saturated fat and high in essential plant fats.” For further information, contact Lee Jerome (MSc Clinical Nutrition), Health Campaigner for VVF, on 0117 970 5190 Notes for Editors Copies of the Fishing for Facts report are available from VVF or it can be viewed online at http://www.vegetarian.org.uk/fish/fishreport.pdf -ends- .
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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