Tilapia may harm your heart.

[Bouncer]

FRIDAY, July 11 (HealthDay News) -- The wildly popular farm-raised fish known as tilapia may actually harm your heart, thanks to low levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids and high levels of unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids.

New research suggests the combination could be particularly bad for patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other diseases involving overactive inflammatory responses.

"If you're in a vulnerable population such as a heart disease patient, you need to be very careful with what you're eating, and that includes everything," said senior study author Dr. Floyd H. Chilton, director of Wake Forest Center for Botanical Lipids, in Winston-Salem, N.C. "But when it comes to fish, there's not a more important thing you can do for heart disease than eat the right type of fish or take dietary fish oil. There is evidence that you may harm yourself by eating the wrong kind of fish, and [farmed] tilapia and catfish are the two that fall into that category."

Full Story: Popular Tilapia Might Not Help Heart - US News and World Report

[toolwtf]

Damn. I love Tilapia too. I have read similar studies about this - nothing that was harmful, but that the fact that Tilapia had very low levels of Omega 3 so you really don't get the benefits of eating it like with other fish. I've switched back to wild Samon - doesn't taste as good to me, but the benefits outweight the flavor deficits.

[FitnessBrat]

I like tilapia too :(

[blm]

Ever see the Dirty Jobs where Tilapia was used at a waste management facility to eat the feces instead of burning it? Then the Tilapia is later sold to restaurants. Mmmmmmm, yummy.

[FitnessBrat]

Ever see the Dirty Jobs where Tilapia was used at a waste management facility to eat the feces instead of burning it? Then the Tilapia is later sold to restaurants. Mmmmmmm, yummy.

OMG, eww

[redsquirrel]

OMG, eww

OMFG is more like it!!! That's so many ways of disgusti:hang:ng, I can't count them!

[Bouncer]

i just find it odd that they say it hurts your heart. are they saying the omega 6 in general is harmful or the combo of low omega 3 and high omega 6 is harmful?

[redsquirrel]

i just find it odd that they say it hurts your heart. are they saying the omega 6 in general is harmful or the combo of low omega 3 and high omega 6 is harmful?

Well, they are saying that it's primarily the omega 6's. And, since the omega 3's are low, and make it unbalanced, that's why I think thwy are saying it could be harmful.

However, what I find interesting is wouldn't the packaging reflect these fats somewhere in the nutrition contents? We buy the IQF box of tilapia. There is nothing listed anywhere that it has high saturated fats.

[toolwtf]

Tilapia are a scrap fish in general. They eat shit and algae and shit like that similar to nasty ass bottom feeding catfish. EW

[NYCmitch25]

i guess thats why its so cheap.

[blm]

i guess thats why its so cheap.

Yep, that and they kind thrive in damn near any environment.

[Nekrawulf]

Yes omega 6 fatty acids cause an increased production of "bad" eicosanoids, especially when the EFA omega balance is out of wack.

I wont go into the nitty gritty endocrinic implications of this, just know that yes, it can be bad for your heart.

PS Egg yolks are also high in Omega 6.

[Bouncer]

PS Egg yolks are also high in Omega 6.

thats why i eat omega 3 eggs.

[dna9488]

Never had tilapia in my life. Its always been Cod, Tuna, and Salmon.

[FrankTheTank55]

Never had tilapia in my life. Its always been Cod, Tuna, and Salmon.

You should try some orange roughy...