For more than a decade mass media has championed fish consumption. They have told us about its power to lower cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease. In 1985, three high profile studies, in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine came out, on the same day, in support of these ideas. One report researched the coronary heart disease deaths among men in Holland. It found that those who consumed 1 oz. of fish daily reduced their risk of heart death by 50 percent.¹ A second described the effects of fish oil on the lowering of cholesterol and triglycerides.² A third dealt with the effects of fish oil on white blood cell function.³

As a result of these and other studies, many switched from red meat to fish, hoping to benefit from these findings. In many cases, the strategy seemed to have worked. However, the problems of high fat intake, high cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease didn't go away.

What happened? Were the reports flawed? Did the researchers miss something? These and many other issues will be covered in this section of, THE TRUTH ABOUT FISH.

1 Kromhout D, Bosschieter EB, de Lezenne Coulander C. The inverse relation between fish consumption and 20-year mortality from coronary heart disease. N Engl J Med 1985 May 9;312(19):1205-1209.

2 Phillipson BE, Rothrock DW, et al. Reduction of plasma lipids, lipoproteins, and apoproteins by dietary fish oils in patients with hypertriglyceridemia. N Engl J Med 1985 May 9;312(19):1210-1216.

3 Lee TH, Hoover RL, et al. Effect of dietary enrichment with eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids on in vitro neutrophil and monocyte leukotriene generation and neutrophil function. N Engl J Med 1985 May 9;312(19):1217-1224.