Fish
Fishing on the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan was a huge industry. During their exile
in Egypt, the Israelites learned to prize fish from the Red Sea, and for the people of the
Old Testament, there were precise dietary laws for seafood.
We know today that fish is low in cholesterol and contains healthy polyunsaturated fats.
Since there was no way of preserving fish (except by salting), most people in Bible times
ate their fish fresh – a wonderfully rich source of protein, potassium, vitamins and
minerals with only a moderate amount of sodium.
We also now know that eating fish:
• Thins the blood
• Protects arteries from damage
• Inhibits blood clots (anti-thrombotic)
• Reduces blood triglycerides
• Lowers LDL blood cholesterol
• Lowers blood pressure
• Reduces risk of heart attack and stroke
• Eases symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis
• Reduces risk of lupus
• Relieves migraine headaches
• Fights inflammation
• Helps regulate the immune system
• Inhibits cancer in animals and possible humans
• Soothes bronchial asthma
• Combats early kidney disease
The key to the healing powers of fish lies in the omega-3 fatty acids. These are
particularly concentrated in cold-water fish such as anchovies, bluefish, herring, lake trout,
mackerel, sable fish, whitefish, blue fin tuna, salmon and sardines.
For more than 200 years, cod liver oil was prescribed for a number of ailments, including
rheumatism and arthritis, because it was believed it could “lubricate the joints.”
But it wasn’t until 1985 that doctors writing in the New England Journal of Medicine
recommended that arthritis sufferers could benefit from eating fish once or twice a week.
In the case of arthritis, the omega-3 oils do “lubricate” the joints by reducing painful
inflammation. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
says the oils “unquestionably are anti-inflammatory agents.”
Research funded through the institute demonstrated that these oils blocked the formation
of something called leukotriene B4, which triggers inflammation. The institute reported “…
a significant correlation between the drop in leukotriene B4 and decrease in the number of
tender joints…” after the oils were prescribed.
There are three villains lurking deep in side our bodies that cause heart attacks and
strokes. They are the plaque that can clog arteries and dangerously restrict blood flow;
the accumulation of platelets (sticky pieces of blood cells) that clump together and form
clots; and the sudden, unexplained spasms of blood vessels that can throw the heart out
of kilter or halt the flow of blood to the brain, causing strokes.
Studies on fish oil show it works wonders in reducing or eliminating all three risks. People
who eat lots of fish seem to have thinner blood, which is less prone to clotting. Omega-3
oils also reduce triglycerides and dangerous LDL cholesterol and that may be why fish is
such a powerful ally in the battle against heart disease.
Eskimos eat about 13 ounces of omega-3 rich seafood a day and rarely suffer from heart
attacks. The same is true of Japanese fishermen and their families who consume, on
average, at least 7 ounces of fish daily.
Norwegian scientists recently discovered that a mere three ounces of mackerel in the daily
diet thins the blood within six weeks, significantly reducing the risk of clogged arteries,
heart attacks and strokes.
In Britain, a study involving hundreds of participants revealed that those on a heavy fish
diet developed higher concentration of “good” HDL cholesterol than even vegetarians.
The best news is that it might not even take very much fish to fight off heart disease.
Researchers at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands monitored residents of one
small town who ate only one ounce of fish a week.
The results were astonishing. The risk of heart disease in the study group was 50% less
than among those who ate no fish at all.
Experts warn that hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the red light warning us that a
life-threatening heart attack may be headed toward us like a runaway train. To stop it,
they say, get that blood pressure under control!
The Center Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Berlin studied 24 men with slightly
elevated blood pressure. For two weeks, half of the group dined daily on two seven-ounce
cans of mackerel and followed that with three cans a week for the next eight months.
Mackerel was chosen for its very high levels of omega 3 oils.
The results? The higher the levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood, the more their
blood pressure dropped. The conclusion: A minimum of only three ounces of mackerel a
week lowered blood pressure about 7% – and eliminated the need for medication.
Fish oils seem to be just as important in fighting cancer. Those overactive prostaglandins
that may touch off heart problems, are also present in most cancers, says Rutgers
University researcher Dr. Rashida Karmali.
Now, encouraging studies at Rutgers and
elsewhere indicate that fish oils re highly effective at putting the clamps on the over-
production. And once the heavy concentration of those hasty prostaglandins is reduced,
the risk of breast, pancreatic, lung, prostate and colon cancer also drops. Eskimo and
Japanese women eat lots of fish and seldom develop breast cancer.
Migraine sufferers may find relief with omega-fish oils, according to a team of researchers
at the University of Cincinnati. Of those who took part in that study, 60% reported that
their chronic migraines were less severe and the frequency reduced by half over six weeks
when they took fish oil capsules. The average number of migraines dropped from two a
week to two every two weeks. For some reason, men seemed to benefit more from
adding the fish oils to their diet than women.
A change in diet in which omega-3 fish oils replaced animal fats also dramatically slowed
down the rate of deterioration in people suffering early kidney disease.
