Fishy science
The institute recommended that adult
men eat 17 grams (0.6 ounces) of the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid
daily and 1.6 grams (0.06 ounces) of the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linoleic
acid. The recommendations for adult women were 12 grams (0.42 ounces)
of omega-6 and 1.1 grams (0.04 ounces) of omega-3. The amounts vary
for children and juveniles, and for those over age 50.
The American Heart Association recommends at least two servings each
week of omega-3-rich fatty fish. A serving should be 3 ounces cooked,
about the size of a deck of cards. In one study, senior citizens who
ate one serving weekly had a 44 percent lower risk of heart attack,
according to the organization.
Special fish diets using additives, such as CLA, and grains, such as
soybeans, can be formulated to produce designer fish that are high in
beneficial fatty acids, Brown says. The research team is studying different
fish species to chronicle their development on specialized diets and
determine how much of the nutrients they retain.
Purdue scientists discovered that some fish stay lean while others
become much fatter because they retain the lipids, or polyunsaturated
fat, from the fatty acids. Striped bass that are fed a high fatty acid
diet in a farm environment turn into little butterballs, while yellow
perch stay very lean, Brown says.
The ability to raise more nutritional fish of a variety of species
should encourage growth of the aquaculture (fish farm) industry, he
says. Fish are the last major food item still obtained primarily from
the wild.
"The wild fish supply just isn't sufficient to provide us with
the amount necessary for human consumption," Brown says. "That
was decided in 1989 when we hit maximum sustainable yield from the world's
oceans, yet the world population is still increasing.
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