A Little Bit of Fish

Eating fish may help your health
even if you only eat it occasionally

After analyzing several large studies, researchers concluded that a minimal amount of fish in the diet may be enough to confer the benefit of reduced stroke risk. According to study reviews, eating fish as seldom as 1 to 3 times per month was enough to have a beneficial effect on the risk of ischemic stroke, the most common kind of stroke.

Benefit:
Eating at least 1 serving of fish per week can make you up to 2.7 years younger. Although eating fish as seldom as 1 to 3 times per month may be enough to provide some protection against stroke, a recent study revealed that eating fish weekly could reduce stroke risk by as much as 13 percent, compared to people who ate fish less often than once per month.

Caution:
Certain kinds of fish may contain high levels of mercury, a trace metal that is found in the environment and is toxic to humans. Choose your fish wisely. Long-lived fish, such as swordfish, shark, tilefish, king mackerel, red snapper, and orange roughy, tend to have the highest mercury levels.

Reference:
Fish consumption and incidence of stroke: a meta-analysis of cohort studies. He, K., Song, Y., Daviglus, M. L., Liu, K., Van Horn, L., Dyer, A. R., Goldbourt, U., Greenland, P., Stroke 2004 Jul;35(7):1538-1542. Epub 2004 May 20.

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