The Hometown Treasure June 2012 | Page 15

Smart Choices Mobile Oil Changes! We come to your home or business to change your oil Mobile Services available • Brakes • Oil Changes • Alternators • Belts & Hoses • Tune-Ups • Diagnostics • FREE Estimates! * Also, on-site forklift repair & service * Insured * Credit Cards Accepted OSA on site auto LLC Call Eric Dunithan: 260.376.0044 Garage Sale @ Marion Mennonite Church corner of SR120 & 450W Friday, June 15 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturday, June 16 8:00 am - Noon Tools • Clothing Housewares Sports Equipment & Much More proceeds will go towards missions sandwiches & drinks available Luke Pamer with Connie Lehman, Registered Dietitian at the Topeka Pharmacy Should You Eat More Fish? We have all heard that we should eat more fish. But how much and what kind should we eat? Also, what about the contaminants we have heard are in fish, such as mercury or PCB’s (polychlorinated biphenyls)? Which fish is safe to eat? Those of us who want to eat healthier try to include more fish in our diets, as we have heard that it is heart healthy. Since heart disease is the number one killer in America, the American Heart Association guidelines ask us to try to include two servings of fish weekly into our diets. Benefits: It is the omega-three fatty acids, which the human body cannot make and are found almost exclusively in fish, that lead to the benefits of eating fish according to a “Fishing for healthy choices” article in the Journal Gazette. Fish consumption, especially higherfat fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, and bluefish, have been well documented in studies to be correlated with lower risk of heart disease. Other possible benefits of fish and omegathree fatty acid intake include decreased risk of developing Alzheimer’s, stroke, certain cancers, and high blood pressure, as well as improving mood. Risks: The risks come because of mercury and PCB’s present in our waters, byproducts of industry. The fish which are higher up on the food chain eat smaller fish which have small amounts of Sponsored by 260-593-2252 • 101 N Main. St. • Topeka, IN mercury in their bodies. This mercury accumulates in the larger predatory fish. The contaminant, PCB, is found in many fish which may be linked to higher cancer rates, although that is debated presently. There is also a debate over the risk of eating fish which contain PCB’s. If you have ever heard you should eat wild-caught salmon instead of farmed salmon, it is because of the higher levels of PCB’s found in farmed salmon in a number of studies due to contaminated feed. The Risk of Not Eating Fish: There is real risk associated with a choice to not eat fish. Harvard University has published numerous studies which show that eating fish decreases the risk of dying from heart disease even considering the possible contaminant levels. So What Is the Conclusion? The current consensus is that we need to eat more fish; that the benefits far outweigh the risks. For most adults, two serving of fish weekly (about twelve ounces) is the recommendation. Fish which contain little mercury include shrimp, canned light tuna, Pollock, Alaskan salmon, and catfish. Rainbow trout, Atlantic mackerel and sardines are also low in contaminants. According to a “healthy choices” article in the Journal Gazette, pregnant women and young children should avoid fish which have high mercury levels including shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish. The benefits outweigh the risks in this case and we all need to eat more fish. The Hometown Treasure · June ‘12 · pg 13