
- With Mayo Clinic nutritionists
Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
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Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Katherine Zeratsky and Jennifer Nelson
Jennifer K. Nelson, M.S., R.D., L.D., C.N.S.D.
Jennifer Nelson is your link to a better diet. As specialty editor of the nutrition and healthy eating guide, she plays a vital role in bringing you healthy recipes and meal planning."Nutrition is one way people have direct control over the quality of their lives," she says. "I hope to translate the science of nutrition into ways that people can select and prepare great-tasting foods that help maintain health and treat disease."
A St. Paul, Minn., native, she has been with Mayo Clinic since 1978, and is director of clinical dietetics and an associate professor of nutrition at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
She leads clinical nutrition efforts for a staff of more than 60 clinical dietitians and nine dietetic technicians and oversees nutrition services, staffing, strategic and financial planning, and quality improvement. Nelson was co-editor of the "Mayo Clinic Diet" and the James Beard Foundation Award-winning "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook." She has been a contributing author to and reviewer of many other Mayo Clinic books, including "Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for EveryBody," "The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and "The Mayo Clinic/Williams Sonoma Cookbook." She contributes to the strategic direction of the Food & Nutrition Center, which includes creating recipes and menus, reviewing nutrition content of various articles, and providing expert answers to nutrition questions.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor of the nutrition and healthy eating guide, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She's active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in wellness nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and nutrition related to weight management and practical applications of nutrition-related lifestyle changes.
Other areas of interest include food and nutrition for all life stages, active lifestyles and the culinary arts.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Nutrition-wise blog
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July 17, 2008
Catfish and tilapia: Healthy or harmful?
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
There's an interesting discussion in this month's "Journal of the American Dietetic Association." What it boils down to is this: Is the fatty acid mix in catfish and tilapia healthy or harmful? The debate has even reached the popular press. Why all the fuss?
First off, since 2000, catfish and tilapia rank as two of the most popular fish consumed in the United States thanks mainly to their taste and relatively low expense. And both contain heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Consumption of these types of fatty acids is thought to be associated with reduction in blood pressure and reduced risk for certain cancers, inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, and even mental decline.
You may not have heard so much about a second ingredient they contain, omega-6 fatty acids. Like omega-3s, these are polyunsaturated and help lower blood cholesterol levels, however they are thought to play a role in clotting function, are inflammatory and susceptible to oxidation — thereby possibly increasing risk for blood clots, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and cancers.
The National Institutes of Health funded study by Weaver and colleagues looked at the favorable omega-3 fatty acid content and unfavorable omega-6 contents of commonly eaten fish and found that while catfish and tilapia contain both, they contain a high amount of unfavorable omega-6 fat.
They report that a 3-ounce portion of catfish or tilapia contains 67 and 134 milligrams respectively of the bad fat (the same amount of 80 percent lean hamburger contains 34 milligrams, and bacon 191 milligrams).
Does this mean you should give them up? No! The rebuttal by Harris is in the same journal. He says the logic of judging fatty fish by the amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fat contents is flawed. Governmental and professional organizations haven't used such a ratio for years.
He also says that to think that eating catfish or tilapia — because of its high omega-6 content — is more risky in terms of heart disease than eating bacon or hamburger is "flawed."
My take? I'm going to continue to eat fish — at least twice weekly. I'm going to choose a variety of fatty fish — including tilapia and catfish along with others especially high in the good fats such as salmon, tuna and mackerel.
P.S. When you see this on the evening news you can say that you got the scoop here.
40 comments posted
August 21, 2012 7:57 p.m.
Thanks for the info my daughter and I just asked the question out of the blue. She did Per-Med at UF (Grad 2012) I liked being able to have an informed conversation with her. She did teach me to go to the "Mayo" site over say the "ask" sites etc. So I will be checking in with more questions. Thank you
- Karen
June 20, 2012 2:00 p.m.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU,,THAT'S ALL I NEEDED TO HEAR, I AM A FISH EATING "FOOL", lolol, I MAINLY BAKE OR GRILL MY FISH, YUM, THANKS AGAIN FOR THE INFO
- COOKIE BLAND
June 19, 2012 3:37 p.m.
what about all the hormones,testosterone and genetically altered feed that is fed at the fish farms? i dont trust the usda as far as i cam throw them.they say its ok but look at all the heath problems in childern these days.
- william
May 19, 2012 12:15 p.m.
Biggest problem is that they are both usually farmed. That isn't addressed here.
- ron
April 22, 2012 12:18 a.m.
Everything kills you. Keep eating tilapia and catfish, the health benefits far outweigh the risk, its cheap, and it can be grown on a urban farm. Besides, in 10 years they'll come out with research that says omega 6 really isn't that bad.
- Stop worrying
March 21, 2012 4:34 p.m.
Here's another interesting observation that I have yet to have someone adequately address. Acai is touted as a super food of sorts with its antioxidant properties and omega oils. I make acai smoothies several times a week, and jus recently noticed that it contains only small amounts of omega 3's but significantly higher omega 6's and even higher omega 9's (which I understand are readily available to the human body anyway). It would appear that acai is an unhealthy choice under the above criteria. Any thoughts?
- Max
March 19, 2012 6:58 p.m.
Of course, you need to be mindful of where your Talapia originates. Asian Talapia is loaded with environmental contaminants. You must now consider the food you eat, but the source.
- Thomas
March 16, 2012 11:40 p.m.
Another Sell out to the restaurant industry. Wake Forest Study States: The researchers say the combination could be a potentially dangerous food source for some patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases that are particularly vulnerable to an "exaggerated inflammatory response." Inflammation is known to cause damage to blood vessels, the heart, lung and joint tissues, skin, and the digestive tract. Make excuses now, shorten your life later
- Lloyd
November 9, 2011 2:35 p.m.
Okay, so this article was written in 2008. A lot happens in a year, more so in three years. There could be further findings and breakthroughs. So, I would like to ask the authors of this article, are there any new developments regarding your findings since you wrote this article?
- Maia
October 25, 2011 7:34 p.m.
I am alergic to all seafood, even Tuna. I have no choice but freshwater fish! Trout has too many bones. Don't care for walleye.
- Susie
July 24, 2011 10:01 p.m.
Why is the theory "flawed"? The issue is that FARM RAISED tilapia is feed a corn food mixture (which clearly they do not eat in the wild) which alters their omega 3 and 6 compounds. The farm raised ones are also the cheap variety and the abundantly found type. so 95% of people who are saving money would be buying this variety. The theory is not flawed at all.. possibly more so that this guy doesn't understand the topic to its full extent.
- FraNk
May 25, 2011 12:50 p.m.
thank you your article really helped with my decision to continue eating tilapia which I enjoy eating!
- Kathy
April 13, 2011 11:31 a.m.
I have an Aquaponics System and grow tilapia and organic vegetables, which is an eco-system where the fish poop is pumped into the growbeds and is converted into nitrites, then nitrates by the friendly bacteria and the nitrates feed the plants, clean the water, and the clean water is returned to the fish tank. I would be interested to know if the fish tested we from a traditional farm-raised aquaculture tank. This would skew the while eco-system in my opinion and is why most farm-raised fish are not recommended for human consumption. Aquaponics and Aquaculture are quite different in that respect.
- Victoria
August 28, 2010 2:50 a.m.
i eat Tilapya everyday and i love it.i am puzzle with the findings which is which?some say it is good some say it is bad.
- eli
August 13, 2010 7:46 a.m.
Although I love the taste of both, I wonder what impact the diet of each fish has on their respective levels of Omega-3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. I read somewhere that fish don't produce much Omega-3 if their diet does not consist of certain foods...algae, kelp, etc. Is this true? If I eat catfish, I catch it myself. But if I eat tilapia, I buy it from the grocery store.
- manfrom20
July 2, 2010 2:34 p.m.
Americans seem to over do it with many things, not least food. Everything in moderation. There is good and bad in everything, just as in life. So don't get so hung up on quantities of Omega 3 and Omega 6. Anyway did we concern ourselves with that when buying fish 30 or even 15 years ago. I'm cooking tilapia tomorrow using very little oil, very little salt, lets of lemon and fresh herbs and a little chili. Everything in moderation folks.
- Michelle UK
March 3, 2010 1:30 p.m.
I am on a Paleo Diet and I am researching foods that fit this diet. I would like to eat better fish like Salmon, fresh Tuna, etc. but it is so expensive. I got Tilapia at Wal-Mart for a very good price so I bought it. I will eat it a few times a week but I will get better fish with less Omega 6 fatty acids when it is on sale. I bought fish oil supplements for more Omega 3 fatty acids because I eat boiled skinless chicken breast 90% of the time and I need a healthy change up. Thanks for the article and research it has helped me feel a little better about Tilapia.
- Jim
March 3, 2010 11:40 a.m.
...and a myth is a myth, it is not proven true.
- Lotus
March 3, 2010 11:38 a.m.
@MB 1st search on google said saturated fat is bad and on wiki also said it is bad. There are many sites that say it's bad. And what are your evidence?
- Lotus
February 26, 2010 2:51 p.m.
J - I couldn't agree with you more. We all need Omega 6 fatty acid, but when it far out weighs the content of Omega 3, the ratios are off. Same thing with eating regular eggs and eggs from pastured chickens. Regular eggs have too much Omega 6 because they are only feed corn and soy - no grass or insects. This leads to people thinking that "eggs are bad" which just isn't true. Notice a lot of "Omega 3" carton's of eggs in the stores? That's because the consumer has caught on to this ratio. We'll run into the same problems with Fish soon enough, as farmers are teaching the fish to eat corn... the same ignorant thinking that gives us "Corn fed beef" which may be the dumbest thing cattle ranchers ever did. It threw off the Omega-6 content in beef, causes increased risk of e-coli, and pumps antibiotics into your blood, which just creates "super bugs" that are resistant to antibiotics. Not to mention its terrible for the cows. And everyone on here should do some research into Saturated Fat, which is NOT BAD FOR YOU. You will not find one legit study that shows any evidence that it is bad for you. And yes "No name given" the USDA is WRONG. They and the AHA jumped on the idea long ago - who would ever trust them again if they came out to say "We were wrong, Sat. Fat is ok, sorry"? Google these terms if you don't believe me: - "Is saturated fat bad for me" - "7 Countries study myth"
- MB
January 26, 2010 3:44 p.m.
This is not rocket sciense, so let's not be so quick to shoot down what the Docs are saying. The main idea is that if you are looking to get the benefits of omega fat intake via fish, you should stick with Salmon, Tuna and Mackerel. This has always been the case! Catfish tastes awesome - I know - and from what I hear Tilapia tastes great as well, but everything that tastes good IS NOT necessarily good for your body. If you want the health benefits of fish intake, stick with the salmon, tuna, and mackerel and try preparing them in different ways, serving them with different dishes, etc. You don't totally have to eliminate catfish, tilapia, etc., but I would not consume them twice a week or more as you SHOULD with salmon, tuna and mackerel.
- JM
December 16, 2009 6:55 p.m.
I am Filipino and my husband is white and we disagree on how good is Tilapia is, but I LOVE it!!
- Estrella
November 9, 2009 9:46 a.m.
This is the worst piece of non-science that I have seen. After giving the scientific facts, we are presented with opinion to contradict the facts. Tilapia is now the main crop of the former chicken farmers on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The chicken barns now have foot deep plastic tubes that are twelve feet across to raise the tilapia. They feed them the same food the feed the chickens. There is no needs to add oxygen to the water and best of all, the fish will breed seven times a year in the filthy water.
- William
November 8, 2009 2:45 p.m.
YOU CAN NOT EAT HEALTHY.YOU CAN EAT SLOWLY,YOU CAN EAT A STEAK,BUT THER IS NO PRODUCT "HEALTHY".
- DIETER
May 19, 2009 2:31 p.m.
*UPDATE* Tilapia DOES have scales AND fins but farm raised tilapia are the ones that are high in Omega-6 probably from what they are fed.
- brad
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40 comments posted