Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute: The Role of Omega-3 in Health
The mission statement of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute: "To increase the worldwide consumption of Alaska seafood and promote the quality and superiority of Alaska seafood products."
The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) is divided into three distinct marketing programs: export, foodservice and retail. All three programs are designed to enhance the appeal and popularity of Alaska seafood. The export program operates in the European Union, China, and Japan, while the retail and foodservice programs focus their activities on the U.S.
ASMI's marketing programs are designed to position Alaska seafood as a delicious, healthy, center-of-the-plate meal selection.
For example, the export program conducts elaborate promotions in retail stores and restaurants around the world, from the diverse seafood markets in Asia to those of the European Union. The retail program provides time-saving meal solutions to on-the-go consumers by arranging retail displays in thousands of supermarkets across the United States. The foodservice program works with major restaurant and hotel chains to develop promotions that keep customers coming back for more of their favorite Alaska seafood entrees.
Nutritional Benefits of Seafood: The Role of Omega-3 in Health
Science has confirmed that the type of dietary fat we consume (saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated) impacts many different aspects of health. This is a message which emphasizes the quality of the fat as part of a healthy diet rather than solely the quantity of dietary fat we consume. What has become increasingly evident is that beyond the type of fat consumed, the balance or proportion of these different types of dietary fats becomes a defining role for health. The type and balance of dietary fats we consume alter the production of an important group of biological compounds known as eicosanoids. These compounds can affect blood pressure, inflammation, blood clotting, immune function, certain cancers, and coronary heart disease.
Balancing the intake of healthy fats limits the intake of saturated and hydrogenated fats while emphasizing a greater intake from monounsaturated oils (olives, avocados, and nuts) and Omega-3 fatty acids. Polyunsaturated fats consist of many different types of fatty acids, not all of them being equivalent when it comes to health and disease. Polyunsaturated fats include both the Omega-6 series (vegetable oils such as corn and safflower oil) and the Omega-3 oils, derived from plant sources (canola oil, flaxseed, and walnuts) and from cold water fish (salmon, rainbow trout, sardines, mackerel, and herring).
The two main Omega-3 fatty acids in seafood are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Each of these fatty acids has distinct functions and can enhance health in different ways. The EPA and DHA fatty acids are different than the plant Omega-3 fatty acid, alpha linolenic acid. Alpha linolenic acid is less potent than fish Omega-3s (EPA and DHA) when it comes to beneficial heart health. The link between health and Omega-3 EPA and DHA fatty acids first suggested by Dyerberg and colleagues in 1975, when it was found that arctic populations who consumed an abundant amount of cold water fish experienced less atherosclerosis and thrombosis. Since then, extensive epidemiological, clinical, and biomedical studies around the world have confirmed the association between regular consumption of fish and fish oils with reduced rates of cardiovascular mortality. The American Heart Association and National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (National Cholesterol Education Program) support the recommendation that Americans consume fish at least twice a week to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. For those with heart disease, the American Heart Association boosted its recommendation to one gram per day of EPA and DHA, preferably from oily fish. Eating one gram of Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) per day can reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death by 20 to 40 percent or more. This would be the equivalent to a person consuming two servings (3.5 ounces each) a week of fatty fish such as salmon or rainbow trout. There are many different ways in which the benefits of Omega-3 from seafood exert their protective health benefits. These different mechanisms address the concept that cardiovascular disease is multi-factorial by nature. It involves the immune system, endothelial function, eicosanoid metabolism, hemostasis, and heredity factors. The table below summarizes the role of Omega-3s in heart health.
Role of Omega-3s in Heart Disease
- Decrease elevated levels of blood triglycerides and cholesterol while boosting the amount of good cholesterol (HDL)
- Reduce the risk of sudden death as much as 40 to 50 percent or more
- Reduce the risk of thrombotic stroke
- Reduce risk factors which promote atherosclerosis
- Reduce blood pressure
- Improve the function of coronary arteries by reducing the production of substances which lead to inflammation and heart attack risk
- Reduce cardiac arrhythmias
- Reduce blood clotting factors in arteries which minimize the blood flow to the heart
Recent scientific studies have shown that eating fish regularly slows the progression of diabetes. Fish sources of Omega-3 improve insulin sensitivity, thereby lowering the chance that a person with mildly impaired glucose tolerance will develop type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association supports the recommendation that people with type 2 diabetes consume high Omega-3 sources of fish twice a week.
Omega-3s are also essential for brain, eye, and nervous system development in the fetus and infant. Additional news regarding the health benefits of Omega-3s from seafood have been linked to the prevention of certain kinds of cancer, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, and depression. According to researchers at an international conference sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, there is evidence which suggests that higher consumption of essential fatty acids in fish, such as the Omega-3s, are linked to a lower risk of depression and schizophrenia. This is of no surprise when one considers that 60% of the brain matter is comprised of fat. The brain requires a certain balance of different types of fatty acids to communicate with neurotransmitters. The Omega-3 fatty acids, primarily found in salmon, mackerel, trout, sardines, flaxseed, and walnuts, have a strong antidepressant effect. They make it easier for receptors on the brain cells to process different mood related signals and also maintain healthy brain cell activity.
In the last century, Americans have drastically increased their intake of Omega-6 fatty acids (processed foods, vegetable oils) in relation to the intake of Omega-3 fatty acids. Current estimates indicate a mean ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to be 8-12 to 1 ratio. A more desirable ratio proposed by fatty acid experts and the World Health Organization, would be about 5 to 1 ratio. This excessive intake of omega 6 in relation to Omega-3 is believed by many researchers to be out of balance and thereby decreases the beneficial effects of Omega-3 in the brain and body.
Download the new Alaska Seafood Nutrition Chart (PDF), which includes values for Omega-3s.
(You will need Adobe Acrobat version 3.0 or higher to view this file)
References
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