As kids we are taught that eating carrots leads to better vision. But in future years we could be telling our children the same thing about seafood. Among the many health benefits of seafood consumption, one presently being researched is age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A leading cause of blindness in the elderly — particularly among women — AMD is associated with a decrease in the optical density of the macular pigment of the eye.
That optical density has been shown to be influenced by a number of factors, one of which is docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in coldwater marine fish such as tuna, salmon and herring.
Carol Lammi-Keefe, professor in human nutrition and food at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., has long been interested in the notion that fish is brain food and has written extensively about functional food in pregnancy and its benefits to infant development.
“Today we know that our grandmothers and their old wives’ tales about fish’s healthy attributes were right on target,” she says. “Fish, especially fatty fish from cold marine waters, contains fats important to the development of the brain. Recent research has demonstrated that women who consume the fats of these fish during pregnancy have babies who see better and are better able to problem solve.”
To read the rest of the feature on omega-3s and eyesight, click here.Written by SeaFood Business Contributing Editor Lauren Kramer, the story ran in the August issue of SeaFood Business magazine.
