The potential impact of compositional changes in farmed fish on its health-giving properties: is it time to reconsider current dietary recommendations?
Public Health Nutr. 2017 May 24:1-8. doi: 10.1017/S1368980017000696. [Epub ahead of print]
de Roos B1, Sneddon AA1, Sprague M2, Horgan GW3, Brouwer IA4.
Farmed fish: Omega-3 - 2X less, Vitamin D - perhaps 4X less
- Food Sources and Vitamin D category listing has
112 items along with related searches - Farmed salmon is the most toxic food known
- Farmed fish not have enough vitamin D to increase levels – RCT Feb 2014
- Health benefits of seafood: Vitamin D, Omega-3, and Selenium – Jan 2013
- Cancer treatment needs Vitamin D, Selenium, and other micronutrients – March 2016
- Salmon and IU of Vitamin D per 100 g – Baltic 760, North Sea 360, Farmed 200 – April 2019
Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
2014 data
Assessment of national dietary guidelines in a number of European countries reveals that some are based on cohort studies, focusing on total seafood consumption, while others are based on the content of EPA and DHA, distinguishing between oily and other fish. The mean actual intake of fish in most countries is around or below the recommended intake, with differences in intake of fish being present between sex and age groups. Many people do not reach the national recommendation for total fish intake. Dietary recommendations for fish and EPA/DHA are based mainly on data collected more than 10 years ago. However, methods of farmed fish production have changed considerably since then.
The actual content of EPA and DHA in farmed salmon has nearly halved as the traditional finite marine ingredients fish meal and fish oil in salmon diets have been replaced with sustainable alternatives of terrestrial origin. As farmed salmon is an important source of EPA and DHA in many Western countries, our intake of these fatty acids is likely to have decreased.In addition, levels of vitamin D and Se are also found to have declined in farmed fish in the past decade. Significant changes in the EPA and DHA, vitamin D and Se content of farmed fish means that average intakes of these nutrients in Western populations are probably lower than before. This may have consequences for the health-giving properties of fish as well as future dietary recommendations for fish intake.
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4X less vitamin D - from the PDF
- "One study in the USA also found that farmed salmon contained approximately 25 % of the vitamin D content of wild salmon"
Lu Z, Chen TC, Zhang A et al. (2007) An evaluation of the vitamin D3 content in fish: is the vitamin D content adequate to satisfy the dietary requirement for vitamin D? J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 103, 642–644
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Other references about lower Vitamin D in Farmed Fish
- Farmed fish not have enough vitamin D to increase levels – RCT Feb 2014
- Fatty Fish in diet increases vitamin D level a few nanograms – meta-analysis Sept 2015
- Farmed salmon have 4X less vitamin D than wild salmon - Holick 2006
Farmed salmon misses USDA vitamin D mark
"...3.5 ounces of farm-bred salmon contains only 200 IU, while the same amount of wild salmon contains 800 to 900 IU — a significant difference from the USDA chart." - Wild Salmon Beats Farmed for Vitamin D (Again) 2010
Per 3.5 oz serving: Wild 500 IU, Farmed 60 IU (also had higher fat and lower Omega-3)
- That is an 8X decrease. Other references show "only" a 3X decrease in farmed salmon
More farmed fish than farmed beef? 2013
Cartoon from the web
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