Nutrition

If you're feeling depressed, you might feel better if you take fish oil supplements, a new study shows.

Some patients in the study, but not all, got relief from the omega 3 fatty acids in the fish oil. The ones who did improve – about half the group – were those who didn't also have a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder.

The other half – depressed people who had anxiety disorders, too – didn't get any clear benefit from taking the supplements compared to placebo.

These findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, add to the confusion about whether omega-3 fatty acids really help depression. Different studies have reported conflicting results. At least some of the confusion is due to the fact that researchers rarely test these substances in any standard way. Some studies have looked at omega-3 as a stand-alone therapy; others have tested it in combination with antidepressants. The formulations often vary, too.

Read the complete story from Reuters.

 

 

 

 

The gleaming cod delivered whole from Paul Mettivier's Debra Ann II to shareholders in the Cape Ann Fresh Catch program were pulled from the ocean just hours earlier and only a few miles from the dock.

That would seem to epitomize the ideal of locally harvested, sustainable food.

But according to the expert authors of a growing number of "eco-friendly" seafood guides, the Fresh Catch cod, like most New England seafood, is best avoided if you care about the health of the oceans.

From environmental nonprofits to food conglomerates, celebrity chefs to aquariums, the business of "greening" seafood has taken off in tandem with trendy calls for socially-conscious eating and dire predictions that the seemingly limitless stocks of fish are verging on collapse.

Even Wal-Mart has promised to sell only "sustainable seafood" by 2011.

But who decides what's sustainable seafood and how?

In the United States, the publication with the most pull is the Seafood Watch pocket guide produced by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Primarily funded by the Packard and Pew foundations, the aquarium has become a campus center of commercial fishing opponents and has close ties to Jane Lubchenco, the activist and academic chosen by President Obama to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Monterey Bay's Seafood Watch divides seafood purchases into three categories "Best Choices," "Good Alternatives" and "Avoid."

The only New England fish among the 19 species qualifying for the "Best Choices" label are striped bass and longfin squid. Swordfish qualifies only if it is caught with a harpoon or handline.

In the "Avoid" category are Atlantic cod, haddock (unless caught with hook and line), flounder, halibut, monkfish, skate and shark, including dogfish. These are to be shunned because they're "caught or farmed in ways that harm other marine life or the environment."

That's despite a tripling of the Gulf of Maine cod population since 1994, and a doubling of Georges Bank cod population since its low point in 2005, according to figures cited last year by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Monkfish, meanwhile, was hailed as a "success story" by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service this year because of its recovery status, along with sea scallops and bluefish, both of which could only make the middle category, "Good Alternatives."

Read the complete story at The Gloucester Daily Times.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a given that people who live on the ocean have easy access to a treasure trove of fresh fish.

Or it should be…..but most area catches get hauled to Boston’s big wholesale markets before we get a chance to buy any.

So, flounder caught in Scituate, say, ends up in the city in a heap with flounder from other places. And, later, when local fish markets make their purchases, the swimmers that grew up in your neighborhood aren’t likely to be among their take.

Read the complete story from the Boston Globe.

 

 

 

 

 

Americans consume about 5 billion pounds of seafood a year according to a NOAA report, but that doesn't mean the seafood that you get in a restaurant or in a market is really what you ordered.

David A. Price said fish substitution is more common than people think. His company, Fish DNA ID, is an Anastasia Island laboratory that specializes in fish identification for government agencies, stores, restaurants and individuals.

"There are two reasons why fish are substituted," said Price, who is the lead scientist at Fish DNA ID. "First, and most obvious, is the substitution of a cheaper species of fish just to save money.

Read the complete story in The St. Augustine Record.

 

 

 

 

 

NOAA has issued the following release:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are taking additional steps to enhance inspection measures designed to ensure that seafood from the Gulf of Mexico reaching America’s tables is safe to eat.

The federal government, in conjunction with Gulf states regulatory agencies, is playing an active role in ensuring the safety of seafood harvested from federal and state waters. The federal government, led by FDA and NOAA, is taking a multi-pronged approach to ensure that seafood from Gulf waters is not contaminated by oil. The strategy includes precautionary closures, increased seafood testing inspections and a re-opening protocol.ou can read a summary of the FDA-NOAA plan here or http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/posted/2931/NOAA_FDA_Surveillance_Plan_6_2_14_CLEARED_658415.658415.pdf

 

“Closing harvest waters that could be exposed to oil protects the public from potentially contaminated seafood because it keeps the product from entering the food supply,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “Combining the expertise of NOAA and FDA is the best way to use our scientific abilities to help the American people in this emergency.”

 

The first line of defense is NOAA’s fishery area closures, which began May 2 and are adjusted as the spill trajectory changes. The FDA has concurred with this approach. The current federal closure of 32 percent of federal waters encompasses areas known to be affected by oil, either on the surface or below the surface, as well as areas projected to be affected by oil in the next 48 – 72 hours. The closed area also includes a five-nautical mile buffer as a precaution around the known location of oil.

 

“FDA and NOAA are working together to ensure that seafood from the Gulf is not contaminated with oil,” said Margaret Hamburg, M.D., commissioner of food and drugs. “It is important to coordinate seafood surveillance efforts on the water, at the docks and at seafood processors to ensure seafood in the market is safe to eat.”

 

To help prevent tainted seafood from reaching the market, NOAA created a seafood sampling and inspection plan. Just after the beginning of the spill, it collected and tested seafood of commercial and recreational fish and shellfish species from areas where oil from the spill had not yet reached. NOAA is using ongoing surveillance to evaluate new seafood samples to determine whether contamination is present outside the closed area. If fish samples have elevated levels of oil compounds, NOAA will consider whether to expand closed areas.

 

The federal effort to ensure seafood is not contaminated with oil will also include NOAA’s dockside sampling of fish products in the Gulf. NOAA will verify that catch was caught outside the closed area using information from vessel monitoring systems that track the location of a vessel or information from on-board observers. If tainted fish are found in dockside sampling, NOAA will notify FDA and state health officials for further action.

 

The FDA operates a mandatory safety program for all fish and fishery products under the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Public Health Service Act and related federal regulations.

 

The FDA will first target oysters, crab, and shrimp, which due to their biology retain contaminants longer than finfish, for additional sampling. Finfish rapidly metabolize the oil so the risk of exposure is far less than the other seafood species previously mentioned. The sample collection will target primarily seafood processors who buy seafood directly from the harvester. Monitoring this first step in the distribution chain will help to keep any potentially contaminated seafood from consumers.

 

FDA has also created a focused inspection assignment designed to help seafood processors review their individual source controls to ensure proper documentation and exclusion of any seafood obtained from unknown sources from entering commerce.

 

The two agencies are also establishing a re-opening protocol. NOAA will reopen closed areas only if it is assured, based on consultation with FDA, that fish products within the closed area meet FDA standards for public health and wholesomeness.

 

“We recognize that the effects of the oil spill continue to grow as oil continues to flow,”said Dr. Lubchenco. “As remediation efforts continue, it may be possible to alleviate some of the economic harm caused by the oil spill by reopening previously closed areas. NOAA will reopen areas only if assured that fish products taken from these areas meet FDA standards for public health.”

 

Before the BP oil spill, NOAA operated seafood inspection services in the Gulf — consisting of a handful of personnel — on a fee-for-service basis for the seafood industry.

 

Today, samples collected as part of NOAA’s efforts are sent to the National Seafood Inspection Laboratory in Pascagoula, Miss., where federal and state sensory testing analysts trained to detect certain thresholds of chemicals, which are not normal background odors in seafood, evaluate the catch. Samples are also sent to NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle for chemical testing.

 

According to the most recent data available, seafood samples had been collected during 18 sampling missions by NOAA and contracted fishing vessels in areas inside and outside the closed fishery area.

 

From those 18 sampling missions, 640 fish and shrimp samples were processed for either sensory or chemical testing. Of the 640 samples, 118 fish samples were presented to the team of 10 expert assessors for sensory testing in the Pascagoula Laboratory. Four hundred sixteen fish and shrimp samples were sent to NOAA’s Seattle testing laboratory for chemical analysis.

 

“FDA has set up a hotline for reporting seafood safety issues,” said Commissioner Hamburg. “We encourage fisherman and consumers to report potential contamination to 1-888-INFO-FDA.”

 

 

 

TAMPA – For seafood lovers, shopping for sustainable seafood can be a challenge, and there are a myriad of labels meant to convey sustainability. What's more, a given fish may be severely overfished in one area, but plentiful in others. Notably, about half of U.S. seafood imports are farmed.

Seafood experts say to shop at reputable stores and ask where they source their seafood. Here is some basic information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For more detail, see: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/

• Albacore Tuna – Badly depleted in the Atlantic where overfishing still happens, tune is more plentiful in the Pacific. The bulk of the U.S. catch goes to canned tuna. Note: Nursing mothers and mom's-to-be should not eat more than 6 ounces a week, as tuna can contain high levels of mercury. Fun fact: Tuna must swim to breathe and can move at 50 mph for miles.

• Atlantic Sea Scallop – After strict programs to re-build, Atlantic scallop populations are again high, and not being overfished. Majority come from Massachusetts and New Jersey. Currently there is no method of fish farming for scallops.

Read the rest of the story at Tampa Bay Online.

 

 

 

 

 

WASHINGTON — NASA-sponsored studies have found that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may play a role in mitigating bone breakdown that occurs during spaceflight and in osteoporosis. Ongoing research for decades has looked for ways to stop bone density loss in astronauts. The solution could have significant implications for space travelers and those susceptible to bone loss on Earth.

The studies' results are published in the May issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. The paper reports on four types of studies using cell culture, ground-based bed rest, and data from both space shuttle and International Space Station crew members. NASA studies bone density loss because it is one of the main effects of exposure to the weightlessness of space. Scientists hope to find ways to counteract the problem for astronauts on long-duration space voyages.

In a series of cell-based studies, scientists documented that adding a specific omega-3 fatty acid to cells would inhibit the activation of factors that lead to bone breakdown. This was true in both typical cell cultures and those designed to mimic weightlessness. The inhibited factor is known as "nuclear factor kappa B" or NFκB. NFκB is involved in immune system behavior and the inflammation process. The activation of NFκB in different tissues can lead to bone and muscle loss.

Read the official NASA press release in full

 

 

Young people immersed in food culture today are as likely to praise a fish taco from a food truck as filet mignon from a four-star restaurant.

They didn't read Gourmet magazine — the longtime bible of highbrow culinary taste stopped printing last year. But they do follow blogs and websites that feature everything from straight recipes to goofy fusions to bite-by-bite dispatches about last night's dinner. And many young connoisseurs are kitchen amateurs.

"The twentysomethings right now are probably one of the most educated food generations ever. And by that I mean they can talk to you about foie gras or cooking sous vide or the flavor profile of a Bordeaux," said Cheryl Brown, editorial director of the popular website Slashfood.

Read the complete story from the AP at Google.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mercury levels differ among some species of tuna than others, U.S. researchers found.

Researchers combined DNA barcoding used at the American Museum of Natural History with analysis of mercury content at Rutgers University and found tuna sushi purchased in supermarkets — yellowfin tuna — might have less mercury than that from restaurants.

Sushi samples were taken from 54 restaurants and 15 supermarkets in New York, New Jersey and Colorado, and all of were identified with DNA barcoding as either bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna or bluefin tuna species.

Read the complete story at Official Wire.

 

 

 

 

 

Studies in animals and a couple of small trials in people suggest that fish oil supplementation can fight inflammation and may have cancer-fighting properties, Dr. Sangmi Kim of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and colleagues note. But so far studies looking at the diets of larger groups of people have had equivocal results.

To investigate further, Kim and colleagues examined the relationship between polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and bowel cancer risk in 1,503 whites (including 716 colon cancer patients and 787 healthy controls) and 369 African Americans (213 with colon cancer, 156 controls).

Among whites, the researchers found, those in the top fourth based on their omega-3 consumption had half the risk of colon cancer compared to those in the bottom fourth.

Read the complete story from Reuters.